3-Time All-Star Implores Mike Shildt to Tell Padres That Dodgers 'F-ing Suck'

Heath Bell thinks Mike Shildt shouldn't hold back.

After the Padres lost three of four games to the Dodgers in Los Angeles — and sweated bullets when star Fernando Tatis Jr. was injured late in the final game — it would have been easy for the Padres to wither.

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Bell, a three-time All-Star during his three seasons as the Padres' closer, shared on a recent episode of Friars Territory how he thought the players would like to hear Mike Shildt respond.

What message should Mike Shildt deliver to the Padres after an emotional series against the Dodgers?

"Those guys f'ing suck. Don't worry about it. We got another team to go. Let's go beat up on them."

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— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) June 20, 2025

"What I want to hear is, ‘those guys f-ing suck, we’ve got another team to go, let’s go beat up on them, and just remember come October we’re going to beat those f-ing guys,'" Bell told Kyle Glaser. "'Forget about that now because in October we’re going to beat them, so let’s go whoop up on the other team so we get an opportunity in October to beat them.'

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"That’s what I want Mike to say right now.”

The Padres responded to their series loss in Los Angeles by taking two of three games against the Kansas City Royals, their only loss coming by a single run Friday.

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Despite being hit in the right hand Thursday, Tatis played in all three games of the series, hit a home run, and drew four walks in addition to his two hits.

Any messages Shildt had to deliver Friday were restricted to pre- and post-game meetings only. He and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were both suspended one game after leading their teams out of the dugout in a benches-clearing incident last Thursday. Both managers served their suspensions Friday, and bench coach Brian Esposito managed the Padres in Shildt's absence.

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The Padres' 6-5 loss to the Royals on Friday was their only loss in the series.

But the willingness of Shildt to get dirty in the series finale against the Dodgers spoke loudly. He probably doesn't need to deliver a fiery speech to let his players know how he feels about the Dodgers.

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"There’s some history that’s very public with what happened last year with Manny (Machado) that I took exception to and handled that very privately,” Shildt told reporters. “This got to be more public. And it’s ultimately about the defense of our team, and anybody that is going to take the steps that I feel are inappropriate against our team, then I will take action.

“ … I’m not a grudge guy, but I am a foxhole guy.”

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