Manny Machado Rips Into Dave Roberts Following Padres, Dodgers Brawl

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the San Diego Padres on Thursday evening as a culmination of the brewing stress and emotions from seven matchups in 11 days finally spilled over.

Rookie pitcher Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. in the wrist during the top of the ninth inning on Thursday which led to both benches clearing, both managers being ejected, and a skirmish that went right up to the protective netting behind home plate.

Former Dodgers infielder Manny Machado spoke on managers Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt's initial interaction, and what looked like contact instigated by Roberts as the chaos unfolded.

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Padres broadcast caught the moment that Mike Shildt and Dave Roberts got face to to face pic.twitter.com/FOPsbTEOO9 https://t.co/RyJ2Vu6IUa
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 20, 2025

“I definitely saw that contact,” Machado said. “I think (Roberts) wanted some smoke. Shildty said, ‘What’s up, let’s go. Where you at?’ I guess (Roberts) stayed on the other side. I guess you just kind of want that smoke with just fans watching (and) your team behind you, not solo. So, yeah, I mean, we’re still waiting.”

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Machado also stated a not-so-thinly veiled threat regarding Tatis' imaging following the errant pitch.

“I mean it’s, I don’t know, eight, nine, 10 in a row already, last three or four years,” Manny Machado said of how many times they've hit Tatis. “Let’s just hope his CT scan comes back negative. They got to pray it comes back negative tomorrow. You know? Just pray. … They need to set a little candle up for Tati tomorrow and hope that everything comes back negative. That’s not a good spot to get hit. I don’t care who it is. I don’t care who’s on the mound. It was five now in a year. That’s just unacceptable.”

The team initially took tests that were negative, according to Padres insider Kevin Acee, but Tatis claimed there was a 'gray area' and requested more imaging on Friday.

As the 'smoke' clears and the two teams move onto their next opponents, the Dodgers find themselves atop the NL West with the Padres stuck in the third place spot in the division.

The teams next play on Aug. 15 back at Dodger Stadium for what should be another intense series between the two clubs.

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