MLB Insider: Padres are under the Dodgers skin and it shows

In the hours before Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy said that the San Diego Padres are “trying to get under [our] skin.”

Here’s the thing: they aren’t just trying. They already have.

The incident involving Manny Machado, where he threw a ball in the general vicinity of the Dodgers’ dugout, is the perfect example. Sure, Machado should have thrown the ball in a different area, likely to the ball boy near the dugout. But the response from the Dodgers, specifically manager Dave Roberts, was over-the-top and unnecessary for a throw that slowly bounced into the Dodgers’ dugout.

“There was intent behind it,” Roberts said. “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. 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.”

The Dodgers submitted video of the incident to Major League Baseball, a source confirmed a report by The Athletic. But MLB is not expected to punish Machado or the Padres for the incident.

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The Padres have the psychological edge over the Dodgers

Here’s another thing: The Padres aren’t just getting under the Dodgers’ skin. They are getting under their entire fanbase’s skin, too. Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar trolled Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles crowd when he robbed Betts of a home run in the first inning of Game 2. The crowd grew more hostile once Flaherty hit Fernando Tatis Jr. and later when Tatis Jr. taunted the crowd in right field.

It crossed the line when fans began throwing things at Padres players in the outfield. There has never, and will never be, a place in baseball for that. It’s why the Padres asked fans to be on their best behavior and to “show class and good sportsmanship to those around you for Games 3 and 4.”

Here’s the other thing: it’s unfortunate that both of these incidents are taking away from what is growing into one of baseball’s best rivalries.

The Padres finally look ready to dethrone the Dodgers

The Dodgers, of course, have long been the class of the National League West. For years, the Padres have chased the Dodgers in the division. Most of the Padres’ recent moves – adding Juan Soto, Josh Hader, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease and countless others – have come with multiple goals in mind: dethroning the Dodgers and winning a World Series championship.

In recent years, the Padres have beaten the Dodgers in their most recent playoff matchup the 2022 National League Divisional Series. They won the regular season matchup against the Dodgers this season. But they have yet to dethrone the Dodgers in the National League West and have not advanced to the World Series since 1998.

This year's Padres team, however, feels different. Especially as they took a 2-1 lead in the NLDS on Tuesday night.

These Padres are far more complete. They have a calm, veteran manager at the helm in Mike Shildt who has navigated the Machado incident perfectly. They feel like a team that is more capable of dethroning the Dodgers — and advancing to the World Series — than any of their other teams in recent history. Now they're one win away.

That should be the story, not the Machado incident that should have never been a story in the first place. And it shouldn’t take away from what is shaping up to be one of the best series that this postseason will have to offer.