Padres fans should really be placing blame on Ty France for horrible Dodgers loss

The Padres lost Tuesday night’s game to the Dodgers in the kind of way that makes everyone pick their favorite villain. For a lot of fans, that villain became Sung-mun Song. The cutoff looked awkward, and because it happened right before the winning run crossed the plate, it became the easiest part of the inning to replay.

But that is not exactly where that game really got away. It more than likely broke when Mason Miller made a bad pickoff throw and Ty France couldn’t keep the ball in front of him at first base.

We can debate Song’s decision until the next series starts. We can also talk about whether Song should have trusted one of the strongest arms in baseball.

But that also feels like Monday morning quarterbacking. Or, in this case, Wednesday morning. The bottom line? France has to catch that baseball.

Ty France’s missed chance gave the Dodgers the exact opening the Padres could not afford

In that spot, France needed to make a first baseman’s play, not a highlight reel play. Instead, Alex Call ended up on third, and suddenly every pitch carried a different tone.

Miller actually did part of his job after that. Pages didn’t uncork one on him. But it was enough to become a game-winning play only because the Padres had already given the Dodgers the extra base.

That’s why pinning this on Song feels slightly too convenient. He was part of the final image, not necessarily the root cause. The cutoff looked bad because it was attached to the run that decided the game. But the Padres were already in scramble mode with France’s miss creating the runway.

There is also a bigger Padres lesson buried in here. This team has enough talent to beat Los Angeles. That has been proven over the past two days. The Dodgers have not simply flexed on San Diego without getting an answer in return.

At the same time, that almost makes it worse. The Padres did enough to make it a winnable game, then handed the Dodgers a situation that good teams do not forgive.

France is not the only reason the Padres lost. Miller made the throw. The offense could have created more separation. The bullpen still had to finish the job. And Song’s decision is absolutely worth revisiting, because Tatis’ arm lives in a different category than almost every other outfielder’s.

But if we are being honest about where the inning truly flipped, the blame starts at first base.

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