San Diego Padres

Days after Stephen Strasburg helped bring home the Washington Nationals' first World Series title in franchise history, a report has emerged positing that the 31-year-old ace could be returning home to San Diego in free agency.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee had the scoop Sunday: "Whether the Padres land one of the prized starting pitchers or simply add a bat, multiple people in the organization indicated over the past few days that the team will be in position to make a run at Stephen Strasburg, the World Series MVP who on Saturday opted out of his contract with the Nationals."

Strasburg attended West Hills High School in the San Diego suburb of Santee, California, before playing collegiately at San Diego State. Acee also noted that both Strasburg's parents and his wife Rachel's parents live in San Diego County. However, "the belief in baseball is the Nationals are the favorites to keep Strasburg—just at a higher price than previously committed."

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Saturday of Strasburg's plans to opt out of the final four years and $100 million of his current seven-year, $175 million contract.

Passan added: "Like Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg made himself an extraordinary amount of money this season. Between his NL-leading 209 innings and his incredible playoff performance, Strasburg looking at a deal that exceeds his original $175M contract with the Nationals. That's the floor."

Strasburg went 2-0 in his World Series starts en route to the Nats topping the Houston Astros in seven games. The right-hander delivered a gem in Game 6 to force a Game 7, allowing two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts across 8.1 innings pitched.

Overall in the postseason, Strasburg became the first pitcher in league history to go 5-0 as well as the third pitcher to win five games and notched the second-most strikeouts in a single postseason:

.@stras37 had a #postseason for the ages. pic.twitter.com/Vl9umNwM33

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 31, 2019

Stephen Strasburg joins Randy Johnson and Francisco Rodriguez as the only pitchers to record 5 wins in a single #postseason. pic.twitter.com/CpGZrC8zXj

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 30, 2019

Strasburg is the first former top overall pick to go on and be named World Series MVP. The 2009 No. 1 overall selection has spent his entire MLB career with the Nationals. While he led the National League with 18 wins and posted MLB's eighth-best WHIP at 1.04 in the 2019 regular season, the beginning of his career was rockier.

Strasburg made his debut in 2010 but suffered a UCL tear in August of that year that required Tommy John surgery. The three-time All-Star returned on Sept. 6, 2011, and made five starts before the season's conclusion. In 2012, Strasburg bounced back with a 15-6 record but was shut down for the remainder of the season on Sept. 8 because of an already-established innings limit to steel him against further injury.

That particular history with injury may play a role in Strasburg's decision to capitalize as a free agent now rather than stay on a more team-friendly deal. It's also worth noting that Strasburg's agent is Scott Boras, who also represents Bryce Harper and navigated him away from the Nationals last season to Philadelphia on a 13-year, $330 million deal.

The Nationals will also have to decide whether to pay up for All-Star third baseman Anthony Rendon, who will hit free agency, on top of trying to keep Strasburg. Washington declined first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's $18 million team option as well as catcher Yan Gomes' worth $9 million, but securing both Rendon and Strasburg still will be difficult.

The San Diego Padres have hired Jayce Tingler as their new manager, the team announced Monday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the hire on Oct. 24.

Tingler, 38, is a former minor leaguer who was hired as the Texas Rangers' major league field coordinator in 2015. Tingler then spent time as an assistant general manager for the Rangers before becoming interim bench coach late in the 2018 season following the firing of manager Jeff Banister.

During the 2019 season, he served as the Rangers' major league player development field coordinator.

Tingler has previous managerial experience in the Dominican Summer League (2007-09) and the Arizona Fall League (2010).

The Padres fired Andy Green on Sept. 21 and named bench coach Rod Barajas interim manager to finish out the 2019 season. Green had led the club since 2016 and posted a sub-.500 record in each of his four seasons. Overall, the 42-year-old was 274-366 in San Diego.

"We have more talent and a better ballclub than the way we are playing," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said after the move. "We are trying to build toward something. Big picture-wise, we think we are in a good place."

Posting a losing record for the ninth consecutive season at 70-92 is not what the club envisioned when signing Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million contract in February. The club previously signed first baseman Eric Hosmer ahead of the 2018 season for eight years and $144 million.

Add in rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who was lost for the season Aug. 16 with a back injury, and San Diego has a promising core that should be in postseason contention.

Tingler will likely be under a critical eye given the Padres' expectation to contend now.

San Diego Padres prospect Jacob Nix was arrested after attempting to enter a house in Peoria, Arizona, through the doggy door, according to Joe Enea of ABC15 Arizona.

The homeowner reportedly kicked Nix in the face as he attempted entry, and the prospect was pulled out of the doggy door by 23-year-old Thomas Cosgrove. The homeowner then tased Nix as he attempted to flee the scene.

Both Nix and Cosgrove were arrested a few streets away from the house. The Padres prospect was charged with criminal trespassing.

The Padres released the following statement:

"We are aware of the alleged incident involving Jacob Nix last Sunday in Arizona. We take this matter seriously and have been in contact with the Commissioner's office and local authorities. Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we will not have any further comment at this time."

PD: San Diego Padres pitcher kicked, tased after breaking into #Peoria home: https://t.co/7Go8fkSyTS #abc15 pic.twitter.com/owkccJ1pkP

— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) October 10, 2019

Nix, 23, and Cosgrove are both pitchers in San Diego's farm system. Nix made nine starts for the Padres in the 2018 season, going 2-5 with a 7.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. He spent the 2019 season in the minor leagues while recovering from an elbow injury. He also made one start in the Arizona Fall League.

Cosgrove, meanwhile, spent the 2019 season with the A+ Lake Elsinore Storm. It is unclear if he faces any charges in the incident. 

If Manny Machado has any sway with San Diego Padres management, Buck Showalter will receive serious consideration to be the team's next manager.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, Machado wants the Padres "to at least take a look" at the 63-year-old during their search.

The Padres are seeking a new manager after dismissing Andy Green on Sept. 21, eight days before the end of the regular season.

Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego wants someone with experience. Showalter is among the list of candidates expected to be interviewed, as is former Los Angeles Angels skipper Mike Scioscia.

Joe Maddon and Ron Washington have also received interest from the Padres, per Acee, but it's unclear if they will be interviewed.

There's evidence Padres ownership values Machado's thoughts, at least to some extent. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in March the four-time All-Star, along with Eric Hosmer, set up a dinner with executive chairman Ron Fowler to convince him to put Fernando Tatis Jr., 20, on the Opening Day roster.

Tatis made the team out of spring training, and despite being limited to 84 games because of injuries, he looked like a potential star with a .317/.379/.590 slash line and 22 homers in 334 at-bats.

Machado knows Showalter well from their time together with the Baltimore Orioles from 2012 until Machado was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2018. They made three playoff appearances, though Machado was injured in 2014 when Baltimore advanced to the American League Championship Series.

Manny Machado was his own harshest critic when assessing his first season with the San Diego Padres. 

"I didn't put up the numbers I expected to put up," the Padres third baseman told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "There is no excuse. My batting average wasn't there, a couple things weren't there. I'm disappointed in myself."

Machado added, "I played like s--t."

The 27-year-old signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with San Diego in February. Following the Padres' 1-0 loss in the season finale Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he owns a .256 batting average, the lowest mark of his eight-year career.

On a positive note, his 32 home runs make him one of four players with at least 30 dingers in five consecutive years. However, over the last 30 days, he has a .207/.337/.425 slash line with just as many strikeouts as hits (18).

ESPN's David Schoenfield noted:

"I attributed the slow start in April to the new team, big contract, trying to do too much and so on. When he had a monster June [.314/.368/.695], it appeared he was finally settling in and would once again be one of the best all-around players in the game. But he has totally gone in the tank the final two months.

"In fact, he has been so awful you can hope he's been playing through some nagging injuries or something. Because if he simply has lost focus and interest because the Padres were out of it, that's not a good sign."

Machado denied the notion he gave up on the Padres, per Acee.

"I'm never going to shut it down," the four-time All-Star said. "I looked like s--t, and I own up to it. Obviously, I didn't play to my abilities. ... When they pay you a lot of money, a lot of responsibilities come with that. I didn't want to play like that. To say I shut it down and I didn't play, that is just false. I gave it my all."

Frustrations in San Diego aren't limited to Machado, as the Padres finished 70-92, their ninth straight losing season. That led to the firing of manager Andy Green on Sept. 21.

Padres executive vice president and general manager A.J. Preller told the Associated Press (h/t USA Today):

"We feel like we've got a young talented group that has a chance to be competitive. We made some progress in the earlier part of season, but as the second half went on, we didn't see the team getting into a spot where we could see continual improvement. We feel like a different person in that chair has a chance to take a young, talented group into a different spot."

Whomever takes over at Petco Park will have the opportunity to maximize the likes of Machado, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and first baseman Eric Hosmer.

The San Diego Padres announced the firing of manager Andy Green on Saturday after he posted a 274-366 record with no playoff appearances across four years.

"I want to thank Andy for his tireless work and dedication to the Padres over the last four seasons," general manager A.J. Preller said. "This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we felt was necessary at this time to take our organization to the next level and expedite the process of bringing a championship to San Diego. Our search for a new manager will begin immediately."

The #Padres have fired manager Andy Green. Bench coach and former Triple-A El Paso manager Rod Barajas will serve as interim manager over the season's final eight games.

— Bill Center (@billcenter) September 21, 2019

Green was hired by the Padres in October 2015 after the team fired longtime manager Bud Black during the 2015 season.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, Moises Alou is viewed as a "strong candidate" to replace Green if he is interested in the job. 

The former MLB infielder inherited a roster in the midst of a rebuild. San Diego was expected to take a step forward in 2019 given the development of its top prospects, led by Fernando Tatis Jr., and the high-profile signings of first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Manny Machado over the past two years.

Alas, the Friars recently clinched their ninth consecutive losing season. They haven't qualified for the postseason since 2006 and last won a playoff series in 1998.

"Andy's class, dignity and leadership through a difficult developmental period for our team should be applauded," executive chairman Ron Fowler and general partner Peter Seidler said in a joint statement. "On behalf of the entire Padres organization, we wish Andy and the Green family the best."

Green worked as the Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach in 2015. His five-year playing career included stops with the D-Backs, New York Mets and Japan's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

Meanwhile, the Padres' managerial job should remain coveted despite the team's recent woes. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked the club's farm system as the best in baseball following the 2019 MLB draft.

Pair that with an ownership group that's showcased a willingness to make major splashes in free agency, and San Diego should have a good chance to turn a corner in the coming years.

The San Diego Padres infield has taken two huge hits with rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. and veteran Ian Kinsler landing on the 10-day injured list. 

The team announced Friday that Tatis has a stress reaction in his lower back (his IL stint is retroactive to Aug. 14), and Kinsler is dealing with a herniated cervical disc (retroactive to Aug. 13). Infielder Ty France and outfielder Travis Jankowski were recalled from Triple-A. 

Padres manager Andy Green said Tatis will "most likely" miss the remainder of the season, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. 

Tatis was placed on the IL in April with a hamstring strain, which he suffered while attempting to stretch for a play at second base. It cost him more than a month, and now another injury could raise question marks about his durability.

When healthy, the rookie shortstop has a chance to be a game-changing player.

Considered one of the top prospects in baseball coming into the year, the 20-year-old surprisingly made the major league squad out of spring training and made it count with six home runs and four stolen bases in his first 20 games.

Overall this season, Tatis has 22 home runs and a .317/.379/.590 slash line in 84 games. 

Kinsler has struggled in his first season with the Padres. The four-time All-Star is hitting just .217/.278/.368 with nine homers in 87 games. 

With Tatis on the shelf, Luis Urias will fill in at shortstop. France and Greg Garcia can handle duties at second base until Kinsler is able to return.    

The kid sees things you don't.

Standing on third base, Fernando Tatis Jr. sees daylight home on pop flies to second. Sprinting toward potential catastrophe, he sees a defensive crack he can bust open with a squiggly slide.

He sees dance parties in the San Diego dugout and sugar cane farmers laboring back home in San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic, celebrating them with the wildly popular "sugar cane chop" he introduced to the Padres this spring. The love of his mother. He sees that, too, evident in the subtle pink accent coloring a piece of equipment he wears many games, be it the frame of his sunglasses, the tabs on the backs of his spikes, his wristbands, something. He's absorbed her love and dedication wholly, appreciates everything she's done to help place him in this crackling, electric moment, and if he's wearing his father's name across the back of his jersey, well, he figures the least he can do is give her a quiet nightly shout-out as well.

Tatis doesn't so much play baseball as celebrate it, from his flowing, bleach-blond dreadlocks right down to the tips of his five-tool toes.

"He's the most exciting young player I've seen since Ken Griffey Jr.," venerated baseball journalist Peter Gammons said a few Sundays ago during batting practice at the MLB Futures Game in Cleveland, nodding toward Junior—Griffey, not Tatis—behind the cage as he spoke.

Tatis has yet to even play 100 games in the bigs and already the chorus is nearing standing-room only.

"He's a top-10 player in the major leagues right now," says Skip Schumaker, an 11-year veteran who helped the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series and now serves as the Padres' first base coach. "He's all-world in defense, he's all-world in running the bases, he's all-world at the plate.

"He's a difference-maker when you put him in the lineup on both sides of the ball."

The kid is all of 20 years old. Already, he has joined Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Correa as the only three shortstops to have 18 or more homers in their age-20 seasons. Last month, he became the youngest player to belt leadoff home runs in consecutive games. He projects to finish the season batting .320/.383/.600 with 34 homers and 64 extra-base hits despite missing five weeks from late April to early June with a strained hamstring.

Despite standing 6'3", he plays shortstop with the agility of an Olympic gymnast, tumbling and somersaulting his way to sizzling worm-burners and one-hoppers clearly out of his reach and then finishing the plays with rockets to first that Statcast clocks as fast as 94 mph.

He is everything you've heard about Vladimir Guerrero Jr...times 10. That is no knock on Vladdy, whose arrival this spring was greeted with breathless anticipation and who just happens to be good buddies with Tatis. Their fathers were teammates in Montreal from 2001-03, and the sons were born two months apart in 1999—Tatis on Jan. 2, Guerrero on March 16. They toddled around the Expos' Olympic Stadium clubhouse together when they were 3 and 4 and now, living in towns roughly 90 minutes apart in the Dominican Republic, they hang out some in the winters. In-season, they text frequently.

"We joke around saying we are brothers from different dads," says Guerrero, whose MLB debut this year came less than a month after Tatis'. "He's a good person, a good guy. He has a lot of fun, and I'm glad to see he's showing it."

Tatis smiles about Guerrero's "brothers from different dads" remark.

"Been that way since Montreal," he says. 

This is where Tatis' vision started to focus, where the seeds of his baseball IQ began to sprout.

"Oh man, I'll tell you what," Fernando Tatis Sr. says. "My favorite story is looking at those two kids, hitting balls, catching ground balls, every day, no matter what. Vladdy Jr. just wanted to hit. Forget about fielding, playing catch. I just want to hit."

Nearly two decades later, the difference in the two boys' personalities and interests then still makes Tatis Sr. chuckle.

"Junior wanted to play catch, take ground balls, he wanted to do it all," he says of his own Junior. "Same guy you see right now as a player playing shortstop dancing a little bit, making jokes, having fun—that's him.

"In the past he was like that, too. So many things he likes to do. He loved to go fishing. He loved to go hunting. He loved to play basketball, volleyball, soccer. This is a kid sometimes I'd have to say, 'Hey, hey, hey, take it easy.' Because he wanted to do so many things at the same time. I'd say, 'Pick one.' Junior is something else. When it was raining, he loved to go outside and shower in the rain, walk, run, have fun."

If not baseball, Tatis Jr. says, he would probably be playing volleyball or basketball. Given his lanky frame, he'd likely excel in either. And if not sports?

"I'd probably be a traumatologist," he says. "I just like it. I'm good with science and with the body itself."

"Mm-hmm," his father says. "This kid, people don't know how smart he is, especially in math. This kid can count. He was always one of the greatest in his class. Always. He was always on the honor roll. This kid is very, very smart, and he loves to help people."

On the field, his smarts regularly induce trauma to opponents. Twice in an eight-day span earlier this summer he tagged and scored from third on pop-ups caught by the Pittsburgh and San Francisco second basemen. Against Giants rookie pitcher Shaun Anderson in late July, he was knocked down by an up-and-in 94 mph heater...and then sprang up and drilled the very next pitch, a hanging slider, over the center field fence. Veteran teammates, who recognized this wise-beyond-his-years demeanor in spring training, continue to be amazed.

"You don't teach that; it just comes," says Manny Machado, whose play at third base alongside Tatis' provides the Padres nightly highlight reels and as good a left-side infield defense as there is in the game. "It's incredible the things that he does, and we're like, 'Oh man, where did that come from?'"

.@tatis_jr just makes it look so easy. pic.twitter.com/0Gh4SIyWHy

— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2019

Like an artist attempting to explain the genesis of a beautiful work, Tatis cannot completely relate how he sees some of the things he sees on the field. He surmises it comes from paying attention on a deep level during all those games he played as a kid back home. He simply wants to bring the same mentality with him every day, he says, always staying in touch with the game he played as a kid and "trying to take advantage of people who are asleep or not paying attention."

"I remember from the beginning with him, we would take him to the toy store and he would always pick out a bat or a glove or a baseball," says his mother, Maria, who sometimes tried—and usually failed—to steer him toward Legos or remote-controlled cars. "I would always tell him, 'You already have that one. You want something else? You want something different?' But he would always say he wanted another bat, or ball, or glove."

It is from those days and beyond that Fernando made sure to include something pink—Maria's favorite color—as part of his uniform.

"That's one of the ways I tell her that she's always on my mind and always in my heart, even when I'm on the field," Tatis says.

Certainly, though, there is a built-in advantage in having a father who played in the majors, not to mention having the sport run in his family's blood. Tatis Sr.'s father played, as did his uncles and cousins—one of whom, a left-hander named Ramon Tatis, pitched for the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay over 78 games in 1997 and 1998.

Now, it's Fernando Jr.'s time, and he and his father talk about the game nearly every day, as they have throughout his life.

Be smart, his father has always told him. There's running, hitting, defense. Every single day, you must carry all of it with you on the field. Pay attention. Don't play another game during the game you're playing.

"When he's on base, if you blink your eyes and you don't see him, he's going to do something," Tatis Sr. says. "He's always watching what way to do some damage. This kid is built to win a baseball game."

There are the subtle, high-baseball IQ things he does. Then there are the sledgehammer blows he delivers in full view of everybody, with panache. Like the walk-off home run he blasted in the Dominican Winter League in January that helped spur his hometown Estrellas Orientales toward their first Dominican League title in 51 years, followed by a bat flip epic enough that various Padres razzed him all spring training about it: Are we going to see that in San Diego? How often?

Tatis smiles at these memories. He doesn't just absorb the zings, he revels in them. His unique mix of swag with humility at once makes him seem both older than 20 and still the youngest person in the room. The thing about him right now, Machado says, is that you can tell him anything, critical or positive, and he remains nonplussed, soaking in the advice, acting on it while moving on to what's next.

Even now, after surprising the baseball world by breaking camp on the Padres' Opening Day roster, and with everything he's done since, Tatis says Estrellas' title "is the best experience of my life. It was like a dream come true, bringing that to my home city, breaking that curse of 51 years, being a part of that."

Indeed, it was personal: His hometown team, his people, his father managing. It's why, after his 2018 season ended in July at Double-A San Antonio when he had surgery for a fractured left thumb, he didn't so much ask the Padres if he could play winter ball instead of in the Arizona Fall League, he told them.

With Tatis' father as manager, the Padres were able to check in frequently as they worked to balance Tatis' ongoing development—"Every day was like Game 7 of the World Series for me," Tatis Jr. says—against making sure he was rested for spring camp.

Tatis Sr. assured them that while the winter ball team wanted to win and put the best team forward for San Pedro, he is also a father and wanted to make sure Fernando Jr. would be in the best position to make the big league club and have a long career.

Best-known for smashing two grand slams in one inning when he was playing for St. Louis in 1999, Tatis Sr. long has been kidded by a son who has watched the video of that so many times he's lost count. Fernando Jr. tells him, "OK, I'll give you that. But I'm going to hit more homers than you."

Tatis Sr., who finished with 113 homers (Junior already has 22 in just 82 games) laughs and goes along with it, telling his son: "There's no doubt you're going to hit more home runs than I did in the majors because you have the best hitting coach you can ever have: Me. So, of course, you're going to do it. I never had a hitting coach like me."

Tatis Jr. is a walking carnival on the field, the type of kid who can make people fall in love with baseball all over again. In today's all-or-nothing, home run-or-strikeout game, Tatis Jr. plays with verve.

Watch next time a routine infield pop-up skies to the left side of the Padres infield: There's an ongoing playfulness between Tatis and Machado, one sometimes stealing the catch from the other, the smiles and grins between them the stuff of innocent playground fun. So, too, are some of his acrobatic, tag-avoiding slides.

"It's good to be 20 years old again, to be able to do that and wake up the next morning [not sore]," Machado says. "It's incredible what he does. Every single day, he impresses you."

The sugar cane chop was imported from Estrellas—former big leaguer Junior Lake started it this past winter, according to Tatis Sr., and Tatis Jr. brought it with him. The sugar cane industry is "big time" important in the San Pedro region, Tatis Sr. says, and it's all about remembering where you came from. It has become the Padres' signature celebration.

"A couple of bus rides with him this spring, then I got a good hang of it," Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer says.

"Hey, we're athletes in here. We catch up to that pretty quick," Machado says, chuckling. "It's keeping you engaged in the game. Everyone's bought into it, and when you do that, it's 25 of us having fun and being a part of something special. And that's what we're trying to create in here."

Back home in San Pedro, Tatis Sr. says, they're glued to their native son and his team as the Padres sugar cane chop their way through the season, pushing through a rebuild that they expect to begin paying dividends soon—especially after they acquired Tatis Jr. from the White Sox in a trade for pitcher James Shields in June 2016, when he was just 17 and had yet to play a professional game.

"You don't even know," Tatis Sr. says. "I wish you could be here. Every person here, they love it. Every game, the whole town, everywhere ... in houses, restaurants, supermarkets, we all see it.

Three years later, and he's become one of the faces of a franchise that hopes to reverse a recent history that hasn't seen it finish above .500 since 2010.

"He's an even better dude off the field, which has you rooting for him even more," Hosmer says. "The stuff he does, man, it's contagious. You're going to see all the kids in San Diego doing all the stuff he does.

"They're really lucky to have a guy like him to watch play for the next [many] years."

Says Guerrero, who's trying to revive a moribund Toronto franchise himself: "We talk about how we can get better. About how our dads already did that, and now we want to figure it out on our own."

Close your eyes, and you can see it now: The dancing, the sugar cane chopping, the spectacular plays, all of it occupying MLB's main stage soon, for good. Probably, Tatis has already seen this. Probably has for years.

   

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado didn't hold back when discussing MLB Network commentators Dan Plesac and Eric Byrnes on Instagram Live on Tuesday.

As Chris Bumbaca of USA Today noted, Machado took issue with the commentators' decision to defend Houston Astros center fielder Jake Marinsick after he was hit by a pitch during Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. 

The pitch from Angels pitcher Noe Ramirez appeared to be retaliatory after Marisnick collided with Los Angeles catcher Jonathan Lucroy during a game on July 7. Lucroy suffered a broken nose and was hospitalized by the violent collision.

Machado pointed to the differences between how Plesac and Byrnes talked about Marisnick compared to how he believed they would talk about him and suggested racism was at play (warning: NSFW):

"It is what it is. We just get crushed all the time. We get crushed. Talking about they threw at his head. How 'bout when I got thrown at my head? Nobody was backing me up. They were saying I deserved it. I deserved to get thrown at my head. God forbid someone else gets thrown [at].

[...]

"F--kin' Plesac, this guy. Plesac and Byrnes, the two biggest tools out there. They don't know what they're talking about. ... They got to protect their people. Machado? Forget about Machado. 'Machado,' that's the keyword. 'Machado.' Latino."

Machado also said he thinks he would have been suspended 20 games instead of the two-game punishment Marisnick received.

Bumbaca provided further context to the situation, noting Byrnes called Machado an "absolute embarrassment" in a since-deleted tweet from last year.

https://twitter.com/StelliniTweets/status/1052439436615663616

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball announced Ramirez was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount for throwing at Marisnick, per Yahoo Sports MLB.

Machado was suspended one game in June for making contact with an umpire arguing balls and strikes, and the Major League Baseball Umpires Association released a hyperbolic statement suggesting the suspension should have been longer.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado lost his appeal and will serve his one-game suspension Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Machado was initially suspended for "aggressively arguing and making contact" with an umpire following an ejection during a June 15 contest:

Manny Machado has been suspended one game by MLB for "for aggressively arguing" and making contact with an umpire. He's appealing. pic.twitter.com/COL8s7LcZ9

— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) June 17, 2019

The four-time All-Star was tossed in the top of the fifth inning of that game after taking exception to home-plate umpire Bill Welke's strike zone.

Machado opted to appeal the suspension. While insisting he did not make contact with Welke, he noted he has "never seen anyone get suspended for arguing balls and strikes."

Manny Machado is appealing his one-game suspension for arguing and making contact with umpire Bill Welke in Saturday's game. The #Padres 3B maintains he didn't make contact. "Video says it all ... I don't think anyone's ever been suspended a game for arguing balls and strikes." pic.twitter.com/kTZoGf2Xaf

— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) June 18, 2019

"I didn't think I touched him," Machado said, per MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. "The video says it all. We're going to appeal it, and we think we've got a good case."

Although Machado believed he was being unfairly punished, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association felt the league was too light with the punishment. The union called the one-game ban a "slap in the face of all umpires" and a "disgrace to the game itself" in a social media post:

The ⁦@MLBUA⁩ gets into more detail on its Facebook page, blasting @mlb for a 1 game suspension of Manny Machado: pic.twitter.com/6i7Mb1P2U9

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) June 18, 2019

Major League Baseball responded by saying it was "inappropriate" for the union to compare the incident to "the extraordinarily serious issue of workplace violence."

Losing his appeal means Machado will ultimately miss one game, more than two weeks after the heated confrontation.

Machado—who signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres during the offseason—was hitting .261 on the season at the time of the incident. He has hit .345/.383/.800 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in 13 appearances since June 16, failing to record a hit in just two games during that span.

He is hitting .276/.349/.513 with 20 home runs and 57 RBI in 82 games in his first season with the Padres.