Padres’ Stammen and Goins ejected in first inning after check-swing dispute against Dodgers

The Padres’ latest frustration boiled over before the game even settled in. In Sunday’s matchup against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, manager Craig Stammen and infield coach Ryan Goins were both ejected just three pitches into the bottom of the first, a span that left the visitors dealing with the emotional and practical fallout of being short-handed on the fly.

According to MLB’s account of the incident, San Diego took issue with a close check-swing ruling from first-base umpire Ben May on an 0-1 pitch from Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan to Fernando Tatis Jr. The dugout reaction was immediate, and plate umpire Nick Mahrley stepped in shortly after, ejecting Goins once the count moved to 1-2 after Sheehan registered the ball.

Stammen then came out to argue with May and was tossed as well. The double ejection was notable not only for the early timing, but also for the contrast with Stammen’s broader track record. MLB reported it was Stammen’s third career ejection as a manager, after a 13-year major league playing and coaching career in which he had not previously been ejected.

The incident unfolded against a backdrop that had already been weighing on the clubhouse. MLB noted the Padres entered Sunday in the midst of their longest losing streak since 2013, extending to eight games after Saturday’s loss. In that same context, Stammen had publicly emphasized keeping perspective, saying after the prior defeat that the stretch does not define the season and that the team still has games to play.

In the standings and postseason sense, a prolonged slide can compress a team’s margin for error quickly, especially when matchups come against established contenders. Even without turning this into a judgment on the club’s overall direction, the ejections underscore a moment where the Padres’ need for calm execution collided with a decision that went against them in a high-profile environment.

For the Dodgers, the immediate impact was operational as well as psychological. With Stammen and Goins out, the Padres had to manage from the dugout with fewer voices available in-game, particularly infield and first-base related communication. For San Diego, the priority after the ejections is to keep the conversation focused on fundamentals, since the longer a club sits in frustration, the more likely it is that later close situations will become distractions.

What to watch next is whether Sunday’s early escalation turns into a one-off reaction or a sign that the Padres are struggling to manage momentum in tight at-bats. Also, the way the team responds in subsequent games, especially if similar pitch-location and swing-timing situations arise, could reveal whether this was a contained breakdown or a broader pattern under pressure.