Joe Blanton and pitching coach Mike Butcher had a heated exchange

Joe Blanton allowed four runs in four-plus innings of work this afternoon, ending his first half with a 5.53 ERA, the second-worst mark in the American League behind Wade Davis at 5.89. After Blanton was taken out after allowing the first three batters he faced in the fifth inning to reach base on a single, a walk, and a double, Blanton threw a temper tantrum in the dugout and got into a heated argument with pitching coach Mike Butcher. Teammates had to separate the two and the situation ultimately resolved without any further aggression.

Mike DiGiovanna tweeted about the incident:

Blanton-Butcher fracas stemmed from “miscommunication” between Blanton and C Chris Iannetta, but Iannetta wouldn’t elaborate. #Angels

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 14, 2013

#Angels P Joe Blanton: “Any time things are not going good it can bring things to a little volcano.”

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 14, 2013

#Angels P coach Mike Butcher said he was playing peacemaker between Blanton and Iannetta. Didn’t provoke Blanton.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 14, 2013

You can also watch a clip of the incident on Instagram. (Tip of the cap to Jeff Fletcher.)

The Angels wrapped up their first half with a sweep at the hands of the Mariners, losing 4-3 today. They sit at 44-49, 11 games behind the first-place Athletics in the AL West.

Pablo Sandoval could be tabbed to play second base in the near future, per a report from John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. According to Shea, Sandoval has been spotted taking grounders at second during pre-game warm-ups and may be considering switching to the keystone on a part-time basis.

It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing the 31-year-old corner infielder has done this year — that distinction goes to the flawless inning of relief he pitched in a blowout loss against the Dodgers last month. But it would represent a pretty notable departure from his comfort zone even so; Sandoval has primarily manned first and third base throughout his 11-year career in the majors and has also taken a few reps at DH during his resurgence with the Giants in 2018.

Of course, this wouldn’t necessarily be a permanent switch for Sandoval. As Shea points out, the Giants are thin on middle infielders after losing Joe Panik to a torn UCL in his left thumb and backup Alen Hanson to a left hamstring strain. Provided he can get up to speed quickly (no easy feat, according to infield coach Ron Wotus), he’d give the club some added depth behind Kelby Tomlinson and Miguel Gomez until Panik is ready to take the field again. Sandoval has impressed at the plate this spring, batting a healthy .270/.329/.429 with six extra-base hits and a .757 through 70 plate appearances.