LOS ANGELES -- There was plenty of back and forth on Tuesday night, both in the box score and between the Padres and Dodgers on the field.
But that's just how the average contest between these two teams seems to go nowadays.
The Dodgers clung onto an 8-6 win over their NL West rivals, ensuring at least a split in the four-game series against the Padres at Dodger Stadium. For most of the evening -- a planned bullpen game -- they had to get by without manager Dave Roberts, who was ejected for the 13th time in his managerial career in the third inning.
Dodgers reliever Lou Trivino hit Fernando Tatis Jr. in the back in the top of the frame, and Padres starter Randy Vásquez plunked Shohei Ohtani in the right thigh in the bottom half. Both benches were issued warnings, one night after things had nearly gotten spicy after an Andy Pages hit-by-pitch.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some of the biggest moments from a wild Dodgers win:
Added motivation?
After Pages took exception to being plunked on Monday night, Padres manager Mike Shildt was seen on a TV broadcast appearing to yell in his direction, "Who the [heck] do you think you are?" The video made the rounds on social media, and even Pages was aware of it.
"I actually saw it this morning," Pages said through interpreter Juan Dorado. "Obviously, didn’t pay much attention to it. I left yesterday’s game behind, and I focused on today.”
Well, Pages put together a performance on Tuesday that should ensure that everyone in the baseball world knows exactly who he is. He homered twice and drove in three runs on a four-hit night. He hit a go-ahead blast in the second and added on a game-tying shot in the fourth for his first career multihomer game … in the regular season. (He became the first Dodgers rookie with a multihomer game in the postseason in Game 5 of last year's NL Championship Series.)
"Whatever it was, whatever it tapped into or didn't tap into, he really had a big night and he came prepared," Roberts said. "It's been fun watching Andy play baseball."
Turning the tide
It was Will Smith who finally swung the game's momentum firmly back toward the Dodgers in the sixth inning. After Freddie Freeman led off with a base hit, Smith saw 11 pitches from Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada -- fouling off eight of them -- before launching the 12th into the seats in left-center for a go-ahead two-run blast.
"You can put it up there for at-bat of the season," said Roberts, who watched it unfold from his office with clubhouse manager Alex Torres.
"He was making good pitches. He’s got a really good fastball," Smith said. "Was able to foul off one splitter, and was able to connect on the heater.”
The Dodgers batted around and scored five runs in that game-changing frame, which included an RBI knock from Pages. But it wasn't over quite yet.
Late stress … and relief
The Padres got three back in the seventh, which featured another hit-by-pitch and an odd sequence where the Dodgers appeared to catch Tatis unaware on the basepaths. He was called out at second base by crew chief Marvin Hudson, but home-plate umpire Ryan Blakney had called time -- so Tatis was safe.
Tatis was on third when Michael Kopech slipped while delivering a bases-loaded offering to Xander Bogaerts and balked in a run. One inning later, Anthony Banda loaded the bases but managed to escape unscathed.
Then Tanner Scott, pitching for the third day in a row for the first time this season, gave the Dodgers their first stress-free inning on the mound in some time with a 1-2-3 frame for his 14th save. Did he expect to be called on, given his recent workload -- and that there are five straight days of games remaining this homestand?
"Always," he said.
Do it for him
The Dodgers' series against the rival Padres always seem to stir up some emotion. But Roberts' early ejection gave his team a little extra to play for.
“He’s got our back all the time. We love him," Smith said. "I mean, it got us no more fired up, I would say. But we love the passion. We love his commitment to winning and competitiveness, standing up for what’s right. So you know when he’s mad, probably something has gone wrong.”