"Manny Machado remains eager to play villain" – MLB insider says Padres star's controversial throw at Dodgers dugout shows his old habits persist

On Tuesday, MLB insider and sportswriter Ken Rosenthal published an article that discussed Manny Machado's antics on the pitch during the San Diego Padres' win in Game 2 of the NLDS against the LA Dodgers. With the win, the Padres tied the series.

As is often the case between these fierce rivals, the game had its fair share of drama. Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch which led to an altercation with third baseman Manny Machado. Later, in what Rosenthal deemed was an act of retaliation, Machado tossed a ball in the direction of the Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts. According to Rosenthal, Flaherty did not hit Tatis intentionally, and hence, Machado's actions were uncalled for.

Earlier in his career, there have been numerous incidents where Machado found himself at the center of bench-clearing brawls, which Rosenthal reminded readers of. However, he did acknowledge that Machado has changed his ways for the better even though he still gives into the temptation of "playing villain" from time to time.

"Machado barely reacted when Flaherty cursed him after striking him out with two on in the sixth, and later praised Flaherty for winning the battle," Rosenthal wrote. "The old Machado might have charged the mound."

"All that constitutes progress, even if the initial bar was low. But the Sinister Sling demonstrated again that Machado remains all too eager to play the villain. It was Manny being Manny. Again."

Manny Machado criticizes Jack Flaherty after hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. with pitch

Despite the San Diego Padres winning perhaps their biggest game of the season so far, a lot of discussions during and after the game were related to the spat between the Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty and Padres third baseman Manny Machado. Tempers flared after Fernando Tatis Jr., who had already hit a home run off of Flaherty, was hit by a pitch.

During the postgame press conference, Machado talked about Flaherty's pitch.

"[2:05] Get him [Fernando Tatis Jr.] out; you can't get him out," Machado said. "Don't hit him, right? We don't go out there and try to hit Shohei Ohtani; we try to get him out, right? Don't go out there and try to hit my guy."

With the Padres coming back to level the series, the NLDS now heads to Petco Park where the support for the home side has been loud and boisterous all season. With plenty of high-stakes baseball still to be played, there's a good chance that Sunday's incident isn't the last time we'll see these rivals get on each other's nerves.