San Diego Padres: Tempers flare over…..??

A lot went on Friday night at Petco Park. Though it was a very ugly night for the San Diego Padres, it was quite possibly even uglier for the victorious Dodgers.

In the San Diego Padres loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, the lopsided score was far from indicative of how interesting the game became.

Following the conclusion of the first inning, with the Dodgers already in front and well on their way to a 10-4 victory, benches cleared as a result of a dispute over signs. Both managers barked at each other before San Diego’s Andy Green began walking away. Unfortunately, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts wasn’t through with the petty arguing, and verbally assaulted Green as he was being restrained.

Apparently, Jose Pirela, who was a baserunner at second base at the time, was stealing signs. Or, the more likely case, Los Angeles pitcher Alex Wood was finding something to complain about. Which is really interesting, given that his club led at the time, and the fact that the Dodgers lead the National League West division and they lead the Padres by 20 games.

But what’s even more infuriating is that Green was walking away, he was done arguing. Roberts, on the other hand, resisted the umpire holding him back and approached Green, still fuming over what we assume were unsubstantiated claims of sign theft.

Both managers were tossed.

After the game, as expected, there were two sides to the story, which provided insight into what was actually going on on the field that fans couldn’t see on tv.

There was Green’s side.

"The number one thing I took issue with was the threat on the mound from their pitcher to our player that he was going to drill him — with some expletives mixed in. Colorfully telling a guy you’re going to hit a guy on the field — it’s unacceptable. And I don’t think there’s anyone on our club that’s going to tolerate that."

And there was Roberts’ side.

"There were some things that Andy directed at our player, and at some point I took exception. So I thought it was excessive, and I got emotional. As an opposing manager, to talk about the situation and agree or disagree with how the umpires handle it — that’s his opinion. But when you start pointed comments about a player, then I think I’ve got a problem with it."

More from Friars on Base

• Jurickson Profar free agency update likely rules out Padres reunion
• Fernando Tatis Jr. may not take to outfield move after Xander Bogaerts addition
• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster

If the Padres were cheating, they should be dealt with by the authorities, whether it be the umpires or Major League Baseball. But it seems that this wasn’t even the only thing Roberts took issue with, so it’s hard to make a judgement either way.

It is, however, safe to say that the Los Angeles skipper allowed his emotions to get the best of him, and wasn’t satisfied with merely the heated exchange the two managers initially had. A sign of weakness, insecurity? Maybe. But at this point, it doesn’t make much difference. The two teams played the rest of the game as peacefully as could have been asked for, and they move on to the second game of the series Saturday night.

Next: Who is Dillon Overton?

Well, at least this made for an interesting evening, and another reason to hate the Dodgers.