Targeting "flamboyant Latin guys" Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. & Jurickson Profar caused Padres' boycott of Ken Rosenthal, says top journo

The San Diego Padres are currently in an intense battle with their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series is tied at two games apiece with Game 5 slated for Friday at Dodger Stadium.

While that alone should be enough to make headlines, that is not the only story baseball fans are focused on. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal has caught some heat for his recent article being critical of how some San Diego players have handled themselves.

In the story, he takes some shots at Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jurickson Profar. It led to the club boycotting interviews which David Samson and Dan Le Batard discuss on a recent airing of "Nothing Personal with David Samson."

"Rosenthal is supposed to be impartial [and] objective in his role on television," said Dan Le Batard.

Le Batard was critical of Rosenthal and his stance on the matter. He also brings up that this is not the first time Rosenthal has been involved in something like this.

"He went after their flamboyant Latin guys and he's got a history as the old white guy of doing some of this in protection of Brian McCann sensibilities of the sport," Le Batard said.

Going after the Latin players has been something Le Batard has noticed for a while. However, Samson sees it differently.

David Samson defends Ken Rosenthal following the Padres' article

NLDS: San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers - Ken Rosenthal (Photo via IMAGN)

While Dan Le Batard was defending the Padres' Latin players who were mentioned in the article, David Samson came to Rosenthal's aid. While he has been critical of Latin players, he has also been critical of other players as well.

"It happens to be that they just don't attention when he goes after the white guys or the black guys. He goes after everybody, that is Ken Rosenthal" Samson said.

This has become a distraction to what has become a great series between two teams that have a tremendous amount of pressure to perform. San Diego is looking to capture their first World Series title while Los Angeles was crowned champions before the season started.

It will be interesting to see how this Game 5 unfolds. SD must come out and play one of the best games they have played all year. If not, they will be busy watching the rest of the postseason from the comfort of their homes.