Los Angeles Dodgers had a roster of winners, including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani, of course. And if there was one team that challenged them from the get-go, whether in the regular season or the post-season, that was the San Diego Padres. The team managed to keep the LA Dodgers on their tippy toes; in the NDLS, the Padres took a 2-1 lead too after winning Game 3, but couldn’t keep up!

The LA Dodgers ended up winning the next two games, and while it was an epic showdown, the Padres were eliminated. Mookie Betts and Dave Roberts discussed how tough of competitors the Padres were. Mookie mentioned, “They kicked our a**,” and Dave Roberts shared he thought the Padres were the best team. Not just that, he also mentioned, “I felt like they were going to be our biggest challenge.” But while one would think this should make the Padres feel better upon hearing, it’s the opposite. In fact, Joe Musgrove said it’s not what he wants to hear!

Musgrove pushed back on the Dodger’s claim

Padres All-Star pitcher Joe Musgrove wasn’t swayed by Dave Roberts or Mookie Betts glowing remarks after the World Series. While he acknowledged that the Dodgers were impressive in their run to the World Series, Musgrove dismissed the comments by Dave Roberts during an interview with Marty Caswell. “The best team top to bottom—but I mean, it doesn’t matter a whole lot,” Joe said.

During the same exchange, Joe Musgrove noted, “You can look as good as you want, but it comes down to how well you play in a five-game series. They played extremely well.” Musgrove also mentioned that he is not buying into the entire theory put forth by Mookie and Roberts. “I don’t think we need to hear all that,” claimed Musgrove – for him, words mean nothing, and the result is what talks in the end. Furthermore, Musgrove made it clear that the Padres aren’t looking for pats in the back from Dave Roberts or anyone else. Instead, they are focusing on winning in the next season.

Joe Musgrove laments on the NLDS loss to Dodgers

Joe Musgrove seemed extremely sorted in his analysis; he didn’t sugarcoat what went wrong in the San Diego Padres NLDS loss to the LA Dodgers. During his candid segment with Marty Caswell, Musgrove also broke down the little moments that led to their disarray: “I don’t feel like we did a whole lot in that series to give games away. Maybe there were a few missed opportunities—you make a few pitches here, you get a base hit there, the game changes.” Musgrove mentioned that while certain teams make pitches, some teams don’t, admitting that’s just how baseball works, which makes the games what they are.

The frustration of the loss was palpable as Joe Musgrove replayed Yu Darvish’s stellar performance following his statements. “Darvish pitches his ass off, throws two games, seven innings nearly hitless, for his last two starts of the year, and it still doesn’t go our way,” Musgrove explained. While the pitching was perfect, the offense couldn’t keep up – the team was shut out 8-0 in Game 4 and failed to get back in Game 5, which led to them watching the Dodgers carry on forward to the NLCS.

As for the San Diego Padres, Joe Musgrove emphasized this off-season is not just about the old wounds – now, the team is all about enhancing their offensive fire with their pitching strength. What’s your take on this? Share in the comments below.