Dodgers pitcher Lou Trivino commends umpires' handling of controversial Shohei Ohtani

The bitter rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres reached fever pitch on Tuesday, as numerous hit-by-pitch incidents occurred when the two teams locked horns at Dodger Stadium.

The first incident took place in the top of the third, as Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit flush in the back by a 95-mile-an-hour pitch by Lou Trivino. The walk offered to Tatis Jr. set the tone for a big inning for the visitors, where they ended up scoring two runs.

As the hosts came to bat soon after, Padres starter Randy Vasquez returned the favor by hitting Shohei Ohtani on his right leg. Ohtani's HBP eventually led to Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts getting ejected from the game after vehemently arguing the umpires' decision not to take action against the Padres' pitcher.

Though many fans argued that the umpires perhaps dropped the ball when failing to reprimand Vasquez for 'getting even' for Tatis Jr.'s HBP, officials maintained their lenient approach when LA reliever Matt Sauer hit another Padres batter, Jose Iglesias, in the seventh inning.

Sharing his opinion on the umpires' overall performance shortly after the game, Lou Trivino claimed the officials had done well in the grand scheme of things.

""I thought the umpires handled it (HBP incidents) very well. For me to hit [Fernando] Tatis [Jr.] twice, it makes sense, you gotta retaliate, you know. When the warnings came, and we hit a guy in the hand, which was clearly unintentional, I think there was a lot of feel for them, instead of throwing out our pitcher. I thought the umpires did a good job." Lou Trivino said, via MLB Network Radio

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The Dodgers aim to win their second consecutive series against the Padres on Wednesday

Having faced their bitter rivals both at home and on the road recently, so far it has appeared the Dodgers have had the beating of the San Diego Padres.

Back when the teams faced each other for a three-game series at Petco Park in early June, the Dodgers took games one and three.

Tanner Scott and Will Smith celebrate a victory against the San Diego Padres - Source: Getty

Now, they are on the verge of securing another series win over their arch-rivals, having already won two of four at home over the past couple of days.

As the two sides face off again on Wednesday, fans will hope their team can deliver once more. To secure bragging rights and tighten their grip on first place in the NL West.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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