POSSIBLE PEEKING BY TATIS RANKLES
Dodgers’ Bauer responds to video posted on Twitter
Hours before the drama of Sunday night, Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on Sunday morning responded to a video posted on Twitter that showed Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. appearing to glance down and back at catcher Will Smith giving signs. That came a split-second before Tatis smacked a 3-2 pitch that was well off the plate for his second home run of the game and fourth in two days.
“If you need to know what pitch is coming that badly, just ask daddy nicely next time . ... You know I ain’t scared homie,” Bauer wrote while retweeting the original video.
Tatis responded less than an hour later in Spanish, “Tranquilo, hijo.” That means “Take it easy, son.”
While nothing untoward occurred in Sunday’s 8-7 Padres victory in 11 innings, the Dodgers did seem to indicate beforehand that there could be implications going forward.
Bauer, whose onfield and online antics frequently amuse and anger opponents and fans, on Saturday night was complimentary of Tatis’ talent and said he appreciated Tatis’ taunting home run celebrations. But in a video posted to his YouTube channel on Sunday, he took issue with his perception that Tatis peeked at the signs and/or where the pitch was headed.
“That’s the type of stuff that would get you hit in other games,” Bauer said in the video. “Now, I’m mild mannered about that. I’m going to send a message more this way and say, ‘That’s not OK.’ If you keep doing it, something will have to happen, but …”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had not heard about the possibility Tatis had looked back at Smith.
“I have to look at it,” Roberts said. “I don’t like to speak without knowing, but when you talk about ‘peeking,’ that’s just not the way you play baseball. So I don’t know. Haven’t vetted it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Fernando as a ballplayer, the way he plays the game. If that is the case, which I don’t know, that will be noted.”
Asked if he meant that the Dodgers would make an adjustment in how they hide signs, Roberts said, “No, that’s not what I’m talking about.”
So long
A night after playing a nine-inning game that lasted almost four hours, the Padres and Dodgers went extra innings in a game that lasted one minute shy of five hours Sunday.
Of their seven games so far this season, only one has taken fewer than three hours and three have lasted at least 3:52.
“Honestly, we’re down there locked in pitch to pitch,” manager Jayce Tingler said Sunday afternoon. “You don’t feel it or really notice it until after the game and you look at your watch when you come in.”
Part of the “playoff atmosphere” the combatants have said the team’s meetings have had is a meticulous approach to virtually every facet of the game. They
played 68 innings, of which 20 ended with the game tied. In all but six of those innings, including two Sunday, no more than two runs separated the teams.
Both teams are essentially built to make games last.
Padres pitchers entered Sunday’s game leading the majors with 11.3 strikeouts a game. The Dodgers’ staff was fifth at 10 per game.
Dodgers hitters were seeing 3.97 pitches per plate appearance, 10th most in the majors, with the Padres right behind at 3.96 pitches per plate appearance. Padres hitters were striking out once every 4.5 plate appearance, less frequently
than all but four teams. The Dodgers were striking out once every 4.25 plate appearances, which ranked 10th.
“Each pitch is intense,” Tingler said. “Each pitch has purpose. Guys are battling with everything. … Not only do you have elite pitching on both sides, but you have two of the better teams that know the strike zone, and with that, they’re two groups that are pretty tough to punch out. So I think you get a lot of foul balls, and spoiling some good pitches.”
The Padres would seem to be the main catalyst in the marathons, as they have actually played the fewest games (six) in the majors that have taken fewer than
three hours to play and have played three nine-inning games that have lasted at least three hours, 53 minutes. Entering Sunday, no other team has played more than two. A total of 11 teams hadn’t had a single nine-inning game last that long.
Notable
Left fielder Tommy Pham pulled up limping on his way to first base after hitting a grounder to third base. After he hobbled toward the dugout with assistance from Tingler and an athletic trainer, Jorge Mateo replaced him in batting order and played right field. Jurickson Profar moved from right field to left. The
Padres announced Pham had departed due to left calf tightness.
• Wil Myers did not start for the fifth time in 12 games. He has been playing through patellar tendonitis in his right knee.
• Reliever Keone Kela, placed on the injured list Thursday with shoulder inflammation, threw a bullpen Sunday morning.
• The Padres wore their brown tops and sand pants Sunday for just the second time in 11 road games. Those are technically their primary road uniforms with the pinstriped sand uniforms considered their alternates.