The usually mild-mannered Dave Roberts grew confrontational Friday night due to what he deemed out-of-line comments made by San Diego Padres manager Andy Green. Los Angeles Dodgers starter Alex Wood was the target of Green’s criticism because of an exchange in the bottom of the first inning.
A rather innocent meeting between home plate umpire Greg Gibson and both skippers took a turn with Green’s parting words that he later acknowledged were “probably dripping with a little bit of sarcasm.” Roberts charged after Green, made contact, and benches and bullpens cleared.
Both managers were ejected. It was Roberts’ first of the season, while it was Green’s second. With his manager in an unusual position, Kenley Jansen sent a clubhouse attendant to purchase a bottle of wine so he could give it to Roberts as a token of appreciation, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“He’s always got our backs so I wanted him to know we have his back,” Jansen said. “I knew he was going to feel awkward watching the rest of the game in his office. So I thought, let me do something for my manager.”
Roberts watched the final seven innings from his office, then met with reporters following the Dodgers’ win. He deemed the matter a non-issue moving forward. While there was not any carryover into Saturday’s game, Roberts received a one-game suspension and Green and Wood were fined an undisclosed amount.
Roberts returns Sunday with his club in position to complete a three-game sweep of the Padres. The Dodgers are 7-1 in head-to-head meetings this season and are undefeated in four games at Petco Park.
