Outside The Confines: Bad blood

Bad blood reigns in the Dodgers/Padres series. The Tigers shocked the Guardians. And other news from around the playoffs.

Good morning. I suppose it’s a good morning if you’re a Mets or Padres fan. I assume you know the scores of those games yesterday, so I’m not linking to any game recaps. I will link to the brouhaha that took place at Dodger Stadium during Game 2.

Cripes, we’ve had a whole postseason’s worth of drama in just three games in the Padres/Dodgers series.

• Bad blood between the Padres and Dodgers developed in Game 2. It’s not like these teams liked each other much before that game, but it started when Jurickson Profar deked out the umpires, the Dodgers and taunted the fans after stealing a home run from Mookie Betts. Fans later started throwing things on the field towards Profar and other Padres players.
• Then Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insinuated that Padres third baseman Manny Machado threw a ball at him in the Dodgers dugout.
• Here’s the throw in question and Roberts’ comments

• Padres manager Mike Shildt defended Machado, saying that there was no intent to hit anyone in Machado’s throw.
• There are ways to properly address this controversy and its place in Machado’s career. This piece by Ken Rosenthal is not that. (The Athletic sub. req.) I link to Rosenthal’s piece only because it has become a story in and of itself. Rosenthal can and should do better in the future.
• Padres fans were warned that there would be a zero-tolerance policy towards fans who retaliated in Game 3 by throwing things on the field or other abusive behavior.
• Then Machado was involved in this controversial non-interference call in Game 3.

• I found this explanation for why Machado’s play was legal.

• It should be noted that Mookie Betts did get a measure of revenge when Profar failed to steal a home run in game three.
• Here’s Mookie running the bases on this home run. He got faked out too.

• Game 3 of the Phillies/Mets series was not anywhere near as dramatic. But it did feature a big storyline as Mets starter Sean Manaea picked up a win after allowing one run over seven innings just hours after learning that a beloved aunt had passed away. Tom Verducci reports.
• Leo Morgenstern has more on Manaea’s performance with a bigger emphasis on his pitching rather than his heavy heart.
• Evan Drellich reports on how both the Mets and McDonalds are both cashing in on the whole Grimace mascot thing. (The Athletic sub. req.) Yeah, I don’t get it either. But I guess you don’t question a good luck charm.
• The Tigers evened up their series with the Guardians when Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homerun off Emmanuel Clase. Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru has seven facts and figures about Carpenter’s home run.
• Michael Rosen does a pitch-by-pitch breakdown Carpenter’s at-bat the ended with the decisive home run.
• Ryan Ford writes that Tarik Skubal is having one of the most dominant postseasons ever by a Tigers pitcher so far. Ford goes all the way back to the 1907 Series against the Cubs.
• Gabe Lacques writes that after the Yankees loss in Game 2 to the Royals, the spectre of an early playoff exit looms. He also writes that “These $310 million Yankees just aren’t particularly good.”
• Lex Pryor writes that Aaron Judge will seal his legacy as an all-time Yankees legend if he leads the team to a World Series title. He’d better start getting on that.
• Mike Axisa argues that both the Padres and the Yankees won the Juan Soto trade.
• Melanie Martinez-Lopez explains how veterans Salvador Perez, Yuli Gurriel and Tommy Pham are providing stability for the young Royals.
• Michael Baumann examines the hot series that Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is having and just how flukey is it?
• The playoffs have been wild so far. Ben Clemens demonstrates just how wild this past weekend was.
• Anthony Castrovince has five plot twists in the playoffs so far.
• David Schoenfield looks at how players who had all-time great regular seasons did in the playoffs. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• On to other news. We got sad news as legendary Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant died at the age of 83. Tiant is the all-time leader in wins by a Cuban-born pitcher and also pitched for the Indians, Twins, Yankees, Pirates and Angels.
• And bad news as former number-one pick and reliever Matt Bush was arrested for driving while intoxicated, evading arrest and accident involving injury. Bush has a long history of alcohol-related crimes, including serving almost three years in prison after nearly killing an elderly man after driving a motorcycle while intoxicated.
• Daniel Kramer has five questions for the Mariners this winter.
• I like Rockies manager Bud Black, but wow. The Rockies are an organization like no other. What do you have to do to get fired in Colorado? The Rockies extended Black’s contract through this upcoming season after Colorado has lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons.
• In order to save pitcher arms, Rangers Doctor Keith Meister has suggested getting rid of the two-strike foul ball rule. Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
• MLB will produce the broadcasts of the Twins, Brewers and Guardians starting this upcoming season.
• Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler had an expensive watch stolen at a horse racing track last month.
• And finally, to celebrate the four games being played today, Will Leitch has all the storylines for you to follow.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.