ESPN's Eduardo Perez shades Fernando Tatis Jr. despite brilliant series

If that seemed from out of left field, you're not alone. For starters, there's this tremendous 'web gem' in the top of the second inning that Perez effortlessly compliments.

And in the context of the entire series, several fans on social media pointed out that while Tatis has gone 6-for-12 in the series with two homers and four extra-base hits, Betts had just one hit during this three-game dance in San Diego.

Perez talks about the confidence the Padres have in Tatis' athleticism in one inning only to seemingly toss some shade at him later in the game.

To be fair, Perez could get the benefit of the doubt in that maybe he was trying to say something witty to go along with the visual of Tatis looking over his shoulder to watch the ball fly into the stands. It's not unusual for the folks in the TV booth to play with words a bit while analyzing a play. 

The timing of Betts' homer probably matters as well since it led to a comeback win for the Dodgers. In his own way, Perez could have thought of the time-worn narratives of about star players coming through in the clutch, and just happened to have had the right visual of Tatis play with. Essentially, Betts' homer hit just the right note for 'the big stage' of Sunday Night Baseball.

Yet this felt like a dig at an athlete whose mistakes, most notably his 80-game suspension for performance enhancers, have overshadowed his talent in this still-early phase of his career.

The Padres won't appear on any ESPN telecast for the remainder of the regular season. For those who enjoy the petty, let's hope that the Friars make the playoffs to see how Tatis responds to Perez, if at all.