San Diego Padres pitcher Seth Lugo believes Los Angeles Dodgers were stealing signs in 8-run 4th innings: "We know now that they did"
On Monday, Seth Lugo did not have his best night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He lasted just 3.1 innings, as the Dodgers' offense proved too much to handle.
After taking a 5-0 lead in the third innings, Lugo gave it all back and then some. The Dodgers exploded for eight-run fourth innings. This prompted manager Bob Melvin to go to the bullpen.
After the game, Lugo had some strong words for the Blue Crew. He believes the team was stealing signs, which was the reason for the offensive surge:
"We know now that they did," said Seth Lugo when asked about the Los Angeles Dodgers stealing signs.
Seth Lugo discussed today's outing and how he thought the Dodgers knew what pitches were coming: pic.twitter.com/5MD10sKbVJ
To Lugo's credit, he did admit he made some mistakes on the mound, keeping the ball in the middle of the plate. But he did not hold back when asked if he thought the Dodgers knew what was coming.
Seth Lugo after the game said he felt like the Dodgers knew what pitches were coming.
It’s not like he threw a meatball down the plate to Mookie freaking Betts pic.twitter.com/gBFZof15YD
Lugo fully believes the Dodgers were peaking in from second base and relaying the signs to the hitters, which is legal. The catcher must devise different signs to throw off the opposing team. Many catchers flip their signs every few innings to keep the hitters on their toes.
Los Angeles Dodgers will keep Seth Lugo's comments in the back of their minds
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the game 13-7 in the end, taking the series 3-1. The win improved their record to 65-46, where they sit atop the National League West.
The San Diego Padres saw their record drop to 55-58, 11 games out of first place. They have some serious ground to make up if they plan on making the postseason this year. San Diego is four games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the last National League Wild Card spot.
This team is arguably far better than what they have shown thus far. Their batting lineup is full of big-name players, and their starting rotation is strong behind the likes of Yu Darvish and Blake Snell.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers will likely hold onto Seth Lugo's words for motivation later. The two teams play one more series before the regular season is over. The clubs will meet on September 11th for a three-game series.
Seeing where these two teams lie when they meet again will be interesting. Can San Diego make up some of the ground in the division, or will the Dodgers continue to leave the Padres in the dust?