Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton was none too pleased about some of the things the ESPN Sunday night crew said about his brother, B.J., in Sunday's Rays win over the Rangers. So he did what you do nowadays, he went to Twitter to complain.
Here's a little bit of what he had to say:
The two plays in question came in the second and eighth inning.
In the second, Upton was on second when Luke Scott lined a double over Nelson Cruz's head in right field. It appeared Upton misread the ball off the bat, because it was clearly (from a TV viewer's perspective, which is much different than a guy on second) over Cruz's head. Upton didn't score on the play and most -- including the announcing crew -- thought he should have scored from second. It appeared Upton and third-base coach Tom Foley had a difference of opinion about the play as well. You can watch it here.
In the eighth inning, Upton was at the plate with one out and runners on first and third. After swinging at the first pitch from Mark Lowe, Upton squared around to try to bunt Lowe's second pitch. The ball was well outside and Upton pulled his bat back. Yorvit Torrealba and Adrian Beltre both made good plays to get Evan Longoria at third, but I'd prefer to hear what Longoria, Upton, Joe Maddon and Foley had to say about the play before ripping anyone. If it was a safety squeeze, it would seem Longoria didn't get the safety part. It's one of those plays that's tough to criticize without hearing all the facts -- a luxury the TV announcers don't have. I'm more likely to agree with Justin Upton on this play than the previous one, but the criticism could have something to do with the reputation of the older Upton brother, who is probably in his last season in Tampa.
Hat-tip: Baseball Musings
Here's a little bit of what he had to say:
The two plays in question came in the second and eighth inning.
In the second, Upton was on second when Luke Scott lined a double over Nelson Cruz's head in right field. It appeared Upton misread the ball off the bat, because it was clearly (from a TV viewer's perspective, which is much different than a guy on second) over Cruz's head. Upton didn't score on the play and most -- including the announcing crew -- thought he should have scored from second. It appeared Upton and third-base coach Tom Foley had a difference of opinion about the play as well. You can watch it here.
In the eighth inning, Upton was at the plate with one out and runners on first and third. After swinging at the first pitch from Mark Lowe, Upton squared around to try to bunt Lowe's second pitch. The ball was well outside and Upton pulled his bat back. Yorvit Torrealba and Adrian Beltre both made good plays to get Evan Longoria at third, but I'd prefer to hear what Longoria, Upton, Joe Maddon and Foley had to say about the play before ripping anyone. If it was a safety squeeze, it would seem Longoria didn't get the safety part. It's one of those plays that's tough to criticize without hearing all the facts -- a luxury the TV announcers don't have. I'm more likely to agree with Justin Upton on this play than the previous one, but the criticism could have something to do with the reputation of the older Upton brother, who is probably in his last season in Tampa.
Hat-tip: Baseball Musings