Trust your eyes, not nonsense.

Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty didn’t try to hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with the inside fastball that struck Tatis in the thigh on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Tatis himself said it was an accident. Of course it was. It would have been stupid of Flaherty to intentionally send Tatis onto base when he did.

Manny Machado also didn’t try to hit or scare Dodgers manager Dave Roberts when he threw a ball toward the dugout in the same Game 2 of this extremely intense Division Series.

Video footage showed that Machado made just a light throw into the ground from about 90 feet away.

I have seen higher velocity on peanut bags thrown by stadium vendors.

As for the reaction of two ballplayers – Machado accused Flaherty of trying to hit Tatis Jr. and Flaherty berated Machado after he saw the ball bounce off the net in front of Roberts?

No problem. Just adrenaline-charged ballplayers venting.

The curious thing was how Roberts, who is in charge of the Dodgers’ messaging, responded a day later when asked about Machado’s easy throw to him.

Roberts decided to turn it into a story. He succeeded and created a stupid media-fueled storm.

Answering questions he knew were coming, Roberts said Monday he didn’t notice the third baseman’s throw. But after seeing the video, he called it “disturbing.”

He added: “There was intention behind it… And it was very annoying. If it was directed at me, I would be very – it’s pretty disrespectful. …I don’t know his intention. I don’t want to speak for him. But I saw the video. And the ball was pointed at me with something behind it.”

Roberts also expressed displeasure with the third base umpire who put his arm around Machado after the throw.

“I don’t think they should have had a little mutual conversation,” he said. “When players can throw balls at opposing managers, you know.”

It is a mystery why Roberts chose this answer.

The video showed a slight throw, nothing more. A gradient increased the speed. But it’s not uncommon for infielders to make a throw toward one of the dugouts between innings. If Machado actually sent a message, it was a pat on the back. Maximum.

Speaking to reporters before Game 3 on Tuesday, which the Padres won 6-5, Roberts distanced himself from his comments.

It’s not like Roberts, a former Padres player and coach, to stoke a cooling ember like he did. In this respect, he is the anti-Bobby Valentine.

Theory: He saw so many of his West winning teams fall short in the World Series tournament that he may have decided he had nothing to lose by changing his game. He’s beloved throughout the MLB, but he’s also a tough guy – a cancer survivor who carved out a big league career as a 28th-round draft pick.

Advantage, Padres

Padres starting pitcher Michael King allowed five runs in five innings on Tuesday night, edging out Dodgers counterpart Walker Buehler, who gave up six runs in five innings.

This is how things continue between the two teams.

In six Padres-Dodgers games through September 24, San Diego’s starter had the better pitching line in five games. The best the Dodgers managed was a tie even in the middle game of the three-game set in late September.

Both King and Buehler threw 77 pitches. King hit mostly well outside the hanging breaker that Teoscar Hernandez hit for a grand slam.

Short jumps

Machado’s clever baserunning was crucial to the Padres’ 6-run outburst in the second inning. The 6-foot-1 Machado turned toward the infield grass and took away first baseman Freddie Freeman’s throwing angle. Freeman shot from the knee after flying a grounder and threw the ball off Machado’s left shoulder, sending runners to the corners.

Could the Dodgers have appealed that Machado interfered illegally?

“No,” a major league executive said via text message. “He can establish his own base path.”

Machado’s clever play was reminiscent of Yankees baserunner Reggie Jackson’s hip-blocking of a throw in the 1978 World Series. A Dodgers infielder – Bill Russell – also made this throw.

Well put, A-Rod

Longtime friend and mentor of Machado’s, former Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, said the Padres star is more comfortable than Dodgers players and Roberts when it comes to WWE-style gamesmanship/theatrics.

“Manny is a great kid,” said Rodriguez, an analyst for the FS1 Network. “He enjoys being the heel. He enjoys being the bad guy. But it’s not him. It’s the character.” He added with a laugh, “The Dodgers aren’t comfortable with this madness.”

Robert is not rusty

Rust was invisible as Robert Suarez, called in with two outs and pinch-runner Chris Taylor on first base in the eighth inning, appeared in his first game since throwing a scoreless inning against the Braves six days earlier.

Suarez started with a 99 mph strike against Hernandez and struck him out with a 100 mph fastball.

All five of Suarez’s throws at bat – a sinker and four four-seamers – hit a boundary in the strike zone. Suarez got three more outs, the last being a 101 mph tailer that knocked out Gavin Lux to secure the 6-5 win.

Originally published: October 8, 2024 at 8:53 p.m