SAN DIEGO -- As Oscar Marin was talking to Angel Perdomo to try to get him back on track, the umpires at PETCO Park Tuesday were doing the same to determine the pitcher's fate.
Tensions were high a moment earlier. Perdomo had just given a solo shot to Juan Soto, giving the Padres some much-needed breathing room, and Soto admired the shot. The next pitch from Perdomo ended up being high and tight to Manny Machado, drilling the Padres' star third baseman in the back:
It would turn out the umpires needed less time to complete their task, and they tossed Perdomo while he, Marin and the infield were still in conference. Derek Shelton would get tossed too in protest, and things would go further south in what would end up being a 5-1 Pirates loss to the Padres.
If the conference seemed weird, that's the norm now. Umpires have to convene before they toss a player in viewed retaliation situations as part of a new league rule, though Perdomo would maintain his innocence postgame, saying he was just trying to work inside.
"It surprised me for sure that I got thrown out of the game," Perdomo said, via interpreter Stephen Morales. "No bad intentions behind the pitch. Yeah. The first time it happened to me."
The Padres' clubhouse wasn't as convinced, and the two players involved on their end weren't afraid to speak their minds.
After all, 98 mph can sting.
"You give up a bomb like that I would be mad too," Machado said to reporters. "... I guess people don't respect people anymore."
Padres stars on Angel Perdomo hitting Machado after Soto's homer.
— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) July 26, 2023
Machado: "You give up a bomb like that I would be mad too... I guess people don't respect people anymore."
Soto: "We got pitchers that throw hard too... If you don't want to give up homers strike out people." pic.twitter.com/Tmll1wojVo
"We got pitchers that throw hard too," Soto said. "... If you don't want to give up homers, strike out people."
Tempers can get high, regardless of if Perdomo did or did not purposefully plunk Machado. Things didn't escalate from there Tuesday, and it can't be ignored that Carlos Santana, one of the most respected players on the team league-wide, was in the scrum while Machado was agitated and getting checked out by the medical staff.
Machado was able to finish the game and there would be no further escalation in-game.
The only other casualty of the night would be Shelton, who would also take an early shower after he took issue that a warning was not issued first.
"I think that’s where a warning comes into play," Shelton said. "They initially went to an ejection, which you don’t see a lot. Obviously that’s their judgment call. I didn’t agree with it."
The Padres and Pirates had played without incident in their first five games this season, and Tuesday was fairly uneventful outside of Perdomo's plunking. Rich Hill was able to wriggle out of danger (with some help from his bullpen) by allowing just two runs over 4 1/3 innings despite putting nine men on base. The Pirates went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Dauri Moreta allowed a two-run homer in the eighth to Gary Sánchez to effectively put the game away.
But the hit batter and a couple of ejections? That could be wrinkle for Wednesday's series finale.
"That's the way they made the decision and I'm ok with that," Perdomo said about being tossed without a warning. "Nothing I can do about that."
GETTY
Blake Snell delivers a pitch in the first inning Tuesday at PETCO Park.
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THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: 2B Ji Hwan Bae (ankle), 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (lower back)
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Connor Joe, LF
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Andrew McCutchen, DH
4. Carlos Santana, 1B
5. Henry Davis, RF
6. Jared Triolo, 3B
7. Nick Gonzales, 2B
8. Liover Peguero, SS
9. Austin Hedges, C
And for Bob Melvin's Padres:
1. Ha-Seong Kim, 2B
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Juan Soto, LF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Luis Campusano, DH
7. Gary Sánchez, C
8. Matthew Batten, 1B
9. Trent Grisham, CF
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will try to take the series and split the road trip Wednesday when Johan Oviedo (3-11, 4.77) takes on Seth Lugo (4-4, 3.72). First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. Eastern. I'm covering it then heading home.
THE ODDS
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THE MULTIMEDIA
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