Marlins take exception to 2nd hard slide of series by Padres
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MIAMI -- Benches and bullpens cleared in the middle of the fourth inning of the Marlins' chaotic 7-6 victory in the series finale against the Padres on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot park.
With runners at the corners and one out, Manny Machado grounded a pitch from Marlins starter Max Meyer to shortstop Xavier Edwards, who fielded the ball and threw to second baseman Otto Lopez to begin an inning-ending double play. Lopez took offense to Jake Cronenworth’s slide, as his spikes caught Lopez’s left ankle attempting to break up the DP.
In Saturday’s game, Jurickson Profar’s slide in the seventh inning took out Lopez on a similar play, which scored a run and made it a 7-5 deficit for San Diego at the time. The Padres would rally in an eventual 9-8 victory in 10 innings.
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Marlins center fielder Vidal Bruján and Profar could be seen chirping at each other, with Lopez and Marlins catcher Ali Sánchez nearby. Padres third-base coach Tim Leiper and Marlins manager Skip Schumaker defused the situation, which didn’t involve any skirmish.
“I enjoy contact, so I'm always pro-contact, but I get what Otto was thinking in that you slid off the bag and kind of veered towards center field a little bit and kind of got his leg again,” Schumaker said. “It's men being men. It's OK to talk to each other and tell him you don't like it, and it's OK for Cronenworth to tell him he doesn't like it either. Whatever it is, and then you say stuff, and then you go back to the dugout, so I've got no problem of guys talk to each other and get some emotion.
“You feel alive when that happens. That's OK. As long as there's no punches being thrown, it's good, but I don't have an issue either way, honestly, from Cronenworth or Otto. I just think it's them exchanging words, that's going to happen, totally OK with it.”