LOS ANGELES -- As the Padres dropped game one of a four game set on Monday night in Los Angeles, a tight division race looms large. As the summer heats up, San Diego hopes to maintain their footing despite roster holes and injuries.
After a 6-3 loss, the Friars walked back into the visiting clubhouse at Chavez Ravine. "Good competition, man. Good competition," Manny Machado said to the media postgame. "It's going to be till the end. It's what we play for. So, it's definitely going to be fun."
Facing one of the game's deepest lineups, it wasn't long before LA's firepower enabled them to take 6-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Dodgers received four straight run-scoring hits, including a pair from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.
As if baseball's best rivalry hasn't already provided dramatic moments, Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages took exception to a 98 mph Dylan Cease fastball that plunked him on his left elbow-guard. The hit-by-pitch saw both dugouts react quickly, as Pages gestured towards Cease, unpleased by the right-hander throwing to him inside.
Andy Pages gets plunked by Dylan Cease and he is NOT happy pic.twitter.com/3zmjZI0s7C
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 17, 2025
Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Pages said, "When I got on the the (third) inning, they thought I was giving all his signs to the team," he explained. "I probably shouldn't have reacted like that, but he doesn't miss with a slider on the corner, yet he can miss with a fastball."
Confused by Pages' reaction, Cease addressed the situation, "But, I mean, it's not going to deter me from throwing inside," Cease said. "I don't know if I've ever hit a Dodger before. You know, it just happens. It's part of the game.
Needing offense, Manny Machado responded by hitting an opposite-field homer down the right field line to give San Diego their third run of the game. The blast was Machado's 11th round tripper of the campaign, but was unfortunately the last run to cross the plate on the night for the Padres. With Jackson Merrill on the seven day concussion protocol injured list and the statuses of starters Michael King and Yu Darvish still in flux, the Friars need their stars more than ever.
Con permiso, batazo de Manny Machado 💥 pic.twitter.com/85y4cqIENo
— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) June 17, 2025
On Sunday, the San Francisco Giants swung a blockbuster trade to land slugging 3B/DH Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. As the Padres trail both the Dodgers and Giants in the West, the division just got even more competitive.
"I don't know if I can remember a trade kind of like this," Devers' former Boston teammate now Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. "Man, it made them a lot better. We aren't going to deny it. He's a big-time player."
Now trailing four games behind Los Angeles in the division, San Diego's own stars need to carry them through this stretch. General Manager and President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller will certainly look to improve the needs on his roster to keep the Padres afloat in what is a blood-bath of a National League playoff picture. Mike Shildt's squad will need to invoke all the 'grit squad' mentality they can.