Padres' Mike Shildt Defends Players After Dodgers Call Them Out

The San Diego Padres dropped another intense battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. As could have been expected, tempers flared, a manager was ejected, and players were beaned with baseballs.

The third inning is where Dodgers pitcher Lou Trivino first started the party, hitting superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. with a 95 mph sinker. In the bottom of the frame, Randy Vasquez hit Shohei Ohtani on the leg, causing quite the stir from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts when umpires issues warnings to both teams.

Manager Mike Shildt spoke after the game on the intensity of the moment.

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“Things happen in baseball,” Shildt said. “Guys are trying to pitch in. Guys are looking to make quality pitches. Trivino got Tati to open the game when he was the opener in the game at our place. And he got him again today. That didn't feel real good. Just trying to make quality pitches and fight for the inner-half part of the plate. Ball got away from Vásquez. I understand that they have to [issue warnings] at that point. There wasn't any complaint from my side.”

Just one week after nailing Tatis, Trivino pegged the outfielder again on a 95.5 mph sinker Tuesday night.

Shildt has more than enough of a reason to believe that the same pitcher hitting the same batter throwing the same pitch just one week later was intentional.

As for Vasquez, the starting pitcher for the Friars who hit Ohtani, he spoke after the game about whether his offering was intentional.

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“It wasn’t intentional at all,” he said through interpreter Jorge Merlos.

That's not the way Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saw it.

“Absolutely,” Roberts said when asked if it was intentional. “He hasn’t come close. For me, if they feel that’s warranted on their side, part of baseball, that’s what they feel. I give him credit because they hit him in the leg. Own it, and we move on. It’s not a misfire.”

The tense nature of the rivalry was beginning to boil over, even before any batters were hit. The element that is now being added raises the stakes, but the focus must get back to the actual baseball being played.

There are still two games to go in this series against the defending champions.

As it currently stands, the Padres are in third place in the NL West and five games back from L.A. Wednesday and Thursday will be key opportunities to make up some lost ground in what will be a pair of passionate contests between rivals.

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