Tensions seem to get hotter when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres get together, and that has been true again this week.
The Dodgers and Padres have exchanged bean balls over the first two games, and LA manager Dave Roberts spoke out about the enhanced drama after he was ejected from the Dodgers’ 8-6 win Tuesday.
The Dodgers lead the NL West by three-and-a-half games over the San Francisco Giants and sit five games up on the Padres after winning four of their five head-to-head games over the past two weeks.
LA (45-29) is a half-game back of the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs for the best record in the NL. The Padres (39-33) are one-and-a-half games back of the Giants for the final NL playoff spot.
What Caused Drama Between The Padres and Dodgers?
Tempers flared up in the series opener Monday when San Diego starter Dylan Cease hit Dodgers centerfielder Andy Pages with a fastball in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Pages took exception to the HBP, and the two clubs shouted at each other — and the bullpens threatened to exit due to the kerfuffle. But LA made the hit by pitch hurt, by dinking and dunking its way to five runs in the frame en route to its three-run win.
Things started early again when Fernando Tatis Jr was hit in the back by a 95.4mph fastball from Dodgers pitcher Lou Trivino in the third inning.
“Andy was hit last night. I feel he overreacted. We moved on,” Roberts said. “We ended up hitting a player, Tatis, unintentional[ly]. In that spot we don’t want a[nother] guy on base certainly.”
The hit by pitch may not have been retaliation for Pages, since San Diego had a runner on second, but Randy Vazquez drilling Shohei Ohtani in the knee with a 93.8mph fastball raised the temperature even hotter — after narrowly missing Ohtani with the first pitch.
“Shohei comes up with a base open, and Vazquez took one shot at him, and hit him again,” Roberts said. “For me, if you’re going to do it own it.”
Why Did Dave Roberts Get Ejected?
Umpires warned both benches after Vazquez hit Ohtani, and Roberts lost his mind, particularly at crew chief Marvin Hudson, who ejected the LA manager.
“I didn’t feel a warning on both sides was warranted,” Roberts said. “I just wanted an explanation of their thought process. I didn’t come in hot; I just wanted to know why they issued [the warning].
“I wanted an explanation, and I got run, so for me there was no consistency. I just wanted a feel for the game, and I feel we didn’t get it.”
Roberts was certain that Vazquez hit Ohtani on purpose, and he admitted he wasn’t sure that he had even gotten ejected. He also wasn’t sure what exactly he did to warrant an ejection — since that was his first of the season and the 13th of his 10-season tenure as Dodgers manager.
“I’m very big on common sense,” Roberts said. “For them to issue warnings, I think it’s common sense for me to hold them accountable for their thought process. That’s all I wanted to know, and then I was going to step aside.”
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