San Diego Padres

John Cena is a man of his word. 

The San Diego Padres and Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune shared interviews with the professional wrestler in which he explained his friendship with pitcher Logan Allen and why the two made a $1 bet:

Cena spoke with Allen for hours at a steakhouse after they initially met and bet the southpaw he wouldn't reach the major leagues. Allen did just that during Tuesday's win over the Milwaukee Brewers, throwing seven shutout innings and even tallying a hit and run scored on the offensive end.

"I really wanted to pay the bet," Cena said while explaining he stayed in touch with Allen—who warmed up to the wrestler's entrance theme The Time Is Now on Tuesday.

Cena was in attendance for Tuesday's game and then paid Allen the $1 on the mound at Petco Park prior to Wednesday's contest. He wrote, "To Logan, I was wrong" on the front and signed it while saying "The hard work starts now" on the back.

If Tuesday's performance was any indication, Allen figures to be in the major leagues for the foreseeable future. He was the Padres' No. 7 prospect at the start of the 2019 campaign, per MLB.com.

As San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado appeals a one-game suspension for "aggressively arguing and making contact" with home plate umpire Bill Welke following his ejection during Saturday night's loss to the Colorado Rockies, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association believes the punishment was too light.

The MLBUA called the punishment a "slap in the face of all umpires" and a "disgrace to the game itself," noting Machado "violently" threw his bat during the incident, per The Athletic's Marc Carig: 

"The opportunity has always existed to discuss, privately, any concerns the MLBUA has," said MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, via Carig. "To the extent there is an interest to have a conversation about professionalism and accountability, we are more than willing to have it."

Machado was ejected in the top of the fifth inning after he disagreed with a pair of strike calls:

After the game, Machado said he didn't feel as though San Diego pitchers were given the same strike zone:

On Monday, he denied making contact with Welke.

"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."

He added, according to the Associated Press, "I've just never seen anyone get suspended for arguing balls and strikes, so we'll see what happens."

San Diego manager Andy Green defended his player while citing a lack of recent run-ins, per the AP:

"In Manny's case, he was ejected the last time in 2016. This isn't a habit. This is not who he is consistently. If we were running into an issue with any of the guys were getting ejected, they're not on the field of play, he knows what his impact is for us. There are moments you have to allow that opportunity to let out some frustration, back a guy up because you love his passion."

Of note, Welke previously ejected Green on April 2 for arguing after Machado was called out for batter's interference on a pop-up.

Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres this past offseason, which at the time was the largest free-agent deal in league history. He has hit .264/.346/.464 with 14 home runs and 40 RBI in 71 games.

The San Diego Padres will reportedly be without third baseman Manny Machado for one game unless he wins his appeal.

Yahoo Sports MLB shared the league's announcement revealing Machado was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount "for aggressively arguing and making contact with umpire Bill Welke" during Saturday's loss to the Colorado Rockies.

The suspension would have occurred during Monday's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, but Machado will appeal the ruling.

Machado's ejection was one of three for the Padres during the contest.

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) noted the four-time All-Star was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing a called third strike, while manager Andy Green and pitcher Matt Strahm were ejected in the sixth inning.

Green was ejected after arguing with Welke on the field, but Strahm was tossed while he was in the dugout. The AP report said he was cheering on relief pitcher Phil Maton at the time of the ejection.

Yet it was Machado's ejection that made the most waves seeing how he threw his helmet and continued yelling at the umpire after he was kicked out.

"This is just my personal opinion, but I just felt like our pitchers were making some of those pitches and weren't getting calls on it," Machado said, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. "... I just felt like it was unfair, and it changed the momentum of the game and the momentum of the at-bat. I just had to let him know what it was."

Machado was one of the offseason's biggest free-agent additions, but he has been inconsistent at the start of his Padres tenure. He is slashing .261/.343/.448 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI for the fourth-place club that finds itself 13 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

Baseball games have been delayed by rain, snow, an earthquake, fans running on the field, power outages, leaky fountains, sprinklers, a stray cat and Michael Jordan landing on the field in an alien spaceship. 

Only one of those occurred in the movie Space Jam and nowhere else (that we know of), but bees have (again) become an addition to a list of reasons—regular or bizarre—to delay games.

The latest case occurred in Petco Park on Sunday during the third inning of a game between the visiting Miami Marlins and host San Diego Padres:

Miami was ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning when the bees attacked Petco.

Padres catcher Austin Hedges took no chances against his new on-field neighbors:

Lucky for him, he didn't have to battle the swarm. Per Padres broadcaster Jesse Agler, Cartwright Pest Control saved the day:

The game resumed shortly thereafter.

The Padres barely made it two full years without a bee delay, but at least they're well-connected and prepared when bees attack.

San Diego Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler reportedly received an undisclosed fine from MLB for his use of profane language after a hitting a home run in Thursday's victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bleacher Report's Scott Miller reported the update Friday and noted the fine fell somewhere between $7,500 and $10,000. 

Liz Roscher of Yahoo Sports noted Kinsler appeared to yell "F--k you all" as he crossed home plate, seemingly directing the profanity toward Padres fans.

The 36-year-old four-time All-Star selection denied that was the case after the game.

"No," he told reporters. "I'm trying to get my guys fired up... I'm a passionate player, it's a big moment, I'm trying to get my guys going. We have all kinds of inside jokes and stuff that we have. We're together every day, and we've been together for three months. I'm trying to get my guys going."

Kinsler was asked Friday before the second game against the Pirates whether he regretted his actions, per Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press.

"The only thing that I do regret is doing it on the field in front of everybody, so everyone can interpret it their own way," he said.

But when asked if he had a message for the fans, he simply replied, "No."

Kinsler has struggled mightily so far in 2019. He entered Friday's game with a .175/.233/.342 slash line across 37 appearances after signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the club in December.

He remained in the lineup as the leadoff hitter for Friday's contest.

San Diego Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler has clarified his use of vulgar language after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Kinsler, who has been in a season-long slump, broke out of it with a blast to right field in the sixth inning off Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez. 

Per the Associated Press, some fans on social media believed Kinsler appeared to say "f--k" in a way that was directed toward people who were criticizing him for his struggles this season. 

"That was for my teammates," Kinsler told reporters. "It had nothing to do with the fans. It's for my teammates. It's an inside thing with them. Just trying to get everybody fired up. We had a tough road trip. I'm a passionate player. I try to get my teammates going. That was it."

During the postgame press conference, Padres manager Andy Green defended Kinsler's emotional response in the heat of the moment. 

"The world we live in, you hear a lot of hostility and some of that comes out [at] times," Green said, per USA Today's Tom Schad. "It’s not the right response, but understanding the emotion of the game, that’s probably the best response."

Even after his three-run homer Thursday, Kinsler has been one of the worst position players in Major League Baseball this season.

The 36-year-old is hitting .175/.233/.342 with five homers in 37 games, and his -0.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement is tied for the fourth-worst total among 203 players with at least 120 plate appearances. 

But San Diego hasn't been hurt by Kinsler's lack of production with a 23-21 record. The Padres finished last season 30 games under .500. 

One of the most exciting young players in baseball is on the sidelines after the San Diego Padres announced Tuesday that Fernando Tatis Jr. will be placed on the injured list.

He was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain, initially suffered on Sunday night. 

As Mark Zuckerman of MASN noted, Tatis went down after attempting to stretch for an out at second base. His official IL designation will begin on Monday.

The 20-year-old was one of the top prospects in baseball coming into the year, but expected to spend some more time in the minors before surprisingly making the major league roster. This turned out to be the right decision for San Diego.

Tatis stormed onto the scene with six home runs in his first 20 games while also showcasing the rest of his tools.

Through 27 career games, he has a .300 batting average, .910 OPS and six stolen bases.

Of course, his talent also means he has a bright future ahead of him and the Padres are going to remain conservative in their approach.

"We care a lot about him, we think a lot of him, we love the way he's started his big league career," Padres manager Andy Green said prior to the IL decision, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. "We're going to take care of him. We're going to put him in the position where he has his best shot at health for a long period of time."

The Padres remain competitive in the NL West with a 16-13 record entering Monday, but they don't want to risk the health of their young star.

Greg Garcia got the start at shortstop in place of Tatis Monday and could potentially see more at-bats going forward, but Manny Machado could also get a look at the position after sliding over from third base multiple times.

San Diego Padres 20-year-old shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. became the youngest player to start on Opening Day in 20 years, but the Padres will now have to preserve their star prospect after he suffered an injury Sunday against the Washington Nationals when he stretched for a throw while covering second base:

Tatis Jr. was promoted to the big leagues for the start of 2019 after Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Manny Machado, who signed a 10-year, $300 million contract in February, urged owner Ron Fowler, per ESPN.com's Jeff Passan. 

"To promote a player of Tatis' immense talent—and forgo the opportunity to manipulate his service time, thus ensuring one more year of control before he reaches free agency—is seen as organizational malpractice," Passan wrote on March 29. "Machado and Hosmer did not care. They want to win now."

Pressure is now paramount in San Diego, but any injury to Tatis Jr. may trigger overprotection. The baseball season is long, and Tatis Jr. is the franchise's prodigal son. 

In 27 games so far this season, Tatis Jr. has slashed .300/.360/.550 with six home runs, 13 RBI and six stolen bases.

The San Diego Padres added one superstar to their roster this offseason, signing Manny Machado.

But another free agent still on the market, starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, reportedly could be considering the Padres as well, according to Buster Olney of ESPN:

The Padres have started the season on fire, going 11-5. Machado already has four homers and eight RBI. Fernando Tatis Jr. has looked like a future star, hitting four homers and 10 RBI. Eric Hosmer (eight RBI) and Wil Myers (.304 with three dingers and seven RBI) have rounded out a dangerous offense.

The pitching staff has lived up to its end of the bargain too with a 3.30 ERA and .226 opponents' batting average (both fourth in the National League). 

But getting more help couldn't hurt, especially with the Los Angeles Dodgers remaining a threat in the NL West. Keuchel would absolutely upgrade their rotation. He'd upgrade most rotations.

The 31-year-old had a solid 2018, finishing 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 204.2 innings (34 starts). He's also established himself as a reliable postseason pitcher, going 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in nine starts and 10 total appearances.

For a Padres team looking to make a postseason push this year, Keuchel would help.

But he'd help a number of potential contenders in the National League, with teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves all logical suitors. If Keuchel is willing to do a one-year deal, the offers will come. 

The San Diego Padres began a new era Thursday with a 2-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Newly signed free agent Manny Machado and super-prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. each made his Padres debut on Opening Day, and both were greeted with a warm ovation by the home fans:

Machado struggled while finishing 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but Tatis came through with a 2-for-3 performance in his MLB debut.

His first hit was driven right through the hole on his first at-bat:

In the fourth inning, he got on base with a bunt single:

Although he was later caught stealing at second base, he was at least able to showcase his speed on his way to first.

The 20-year-old also became the youngest to get at least two hits on Opening Day since Robin Yount in 1975, per MLB Stats.

Wil Myers was the hero for San Diego in this one with a home run and an RBI single, but the two newest additions will keep fans excited all year.