The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their dominance over the San Diego Padres with a recent 3-1 series win. However, Padres pitcher Seth Lugo accused the Dodgers of stealing signs. Lugo isn't accusing L.A. of cheating or anything of that nature. Rather, he believes Dodgers runners on second base were relaying which pitch he was going to throw to the batters, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
“When asked, Lugo said he felt the Dodgers knew what was coming in that fateful fourth. He said he thought they’d been relaying his pitch grips from second base, though he refused to use it as an excuse for his poor outing, saying he needed to be more conscious of that possibility in the moment,” Cassavell wrote in an MLB.com article.
“I knew coming in what they were going to do, especially on second base,” Lugo said, via Cassavell.
Article Continues BelowEven if Lugo's accusation is true, the Dodgers would not be in hot water. Relaying signs from second base is legal to do. It is the reason why catchers will flash multiple signs to pitchers, and it is also a reason why MLB's new PitchCom is incredibly important.
The Dodgers got the job done whether they were stealing signs or not. Los Angeles is currently sitting in first place in the National League West, holding an 11-game lead over the fourth-place Padres. San Diego's playoff hopes are still alive, but there's no question it has been a disappointing campaign for the Padres.