Dodgers Get Punched in Nose, Head to San Diego With Season on the Brink

The Padres sure didn't look like little brother yesterday.

Mookie Betts, wondering where his hits went. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Hi friends-

A couple of announcements first. We are already chatting about the two ALDS games that are happening today. The chat is for paid subscribers and you can join us here:

Secondly: don’t forget our book club selection for October/November is The Bottom of the 33rd by Dan Barry. We will discuss it over zoom on Monday, December 2nd from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM PT. And! There’s a rumor (ahem) that the author himself will join us for the chat! You don’t have to do anything to register for our book club. All paid subscribers will receive a zoom link from me the morning of our discussion.

Third: we did not have our normal Zoom talking baseball on Saturday because…. well, there were four playoff baseball games happening. But the Lab WILL be back this Saturday from 12 PM PT - 1 PM PT. There are no baseball games scheduled for this Saturday, so it’ll just be us on Zoom talking through everything going down in MLB. Paid subscribers will receive the zoom link to our hangout on Saturday morning.

OK. Now on to the goat rodeo that was last night’s Padres vs. Dodgers game.

Before we start, let’s get a few things out of the way regarding the fan behavior toward the visiting Padres outfielders in Game 2.

Yes, it’s true that Jurickson Profar taunted the fans in the left field seats for most of the game and that Fernando Tatis Jr. did a Magic Mike dance with hip thrusts toward the right field bleachers while security was trying to defuse the situation with Profar.

But I do not care what any visiting player does to rile fans: there’s no excuse for ever throwing trash, baseballs, whatever, onto the field of play. None. Even if a player calls you a slur or whatever, notify security. Do not throw your beer and cause the game to be delayed. That’s loser behavior.

OK. Now that we’ve gotten that part out of the way, it’s also important to note that every fanbase has village idiots who act even worse when they’re drunk and in their feelings at playoff games. Yes, the Padres often act like wrestling heels (with Manny Machado always leading the way), but their edge is a big part of what makes them fun to watch. And we watch sports to be entertained, no?

Some people online want the entire city of Los Angeles to apologize for the actions of a few drunk morons, and that’s wrong, too.

It’s also beside the point. Padres’ outfielders trolling a handful of Dodger fans into showing their a—s on national TV was just the B plot.

The fact that the Padres backed up the trash talk by hitting six homers to thump their Big Brother up the I-5 North, 10-2, and even the series is really all that matters.

So, if you’re the Dodgers, you take this loss, flush it, and move on.

But honestly?

The Dodgers are in big trouble right now.