Dave Roberts sends 'hostile' warning to Dodgers for Game 3 vs. Padres
Today at 10:12 AM
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wants his team prepared for a hostile environment against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers are in San Diego for Game 3 Tuesday of the National League Division Series. The series is tied at 1 game apiece.
"Clearly, that team over there,'' Roberts said per Forbes, "they like the villain-type kind of role and they feed off of that. So, whatever gets us going …
"It's going to be hostile. It's going to be noisy and rowdy. And it's up to us to stay focused and compete and fight.''
Game 2 of the series turned a bit contentious. Roberts was nearly hit with the ball when Padres infielder Manny Machado launched it toward Roberts in the Dodgers dugout. Roberts says he wasn’t aware of how dangerous a situation that could have been for him.
“It was unsettling,” Roberts said, per ESPN. “Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. There was intent behind it. It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very — it’s pretty disrespectful. So, I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it. But I don’t know what led to that.”
The Dodgers and Padres are bringing it in this NLDS series
The Dodgers and Padres are living the part of bitter rivals. The teams are playing with tremendous passion and energy in the first two games of the series, and Game 3 will likely be no different. It’s a battle between a big market team with a tremendous budget, and a small market team with a limited budget but just as much heart.
"I think there's pressure on both teams,'' Roberts added. "It's a very important game. It's a very pivotal game.”
Fans are also getting into the action, as debris got thrown onto the baseball diamond in Game 2. Los Angeles faces a lot of pressure to make the World Series this season, and fans may be restless to see results. The Dodgers agreed to pay more than $1 billion this past offseason just for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto has been hurt most of the year, but Othani has absolutely delivered results for the club.
The Dodgers and Padres take the field on Tuesday at 9:05 Eastern for Game 3.
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