Manny Machado sends threatening warning to Dodgers after Tatis injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres rivalry is one of the more heated in recent memory, especially as both have been consistent playoff contenders in recent years. But in this week's series, there were a lot of issues with pitchers plunking hitters, whether intentional or not.

On Thursday, things reached a tipping point when Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit in the hand by a pitch thrown by Jack Little of the Dodgers. This caused the benches to clear, with Padres manager Mike Shildt getting into a heated argument with Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts.

After the game, Padres third baseman Manny Machado sent a huge warning to the Dodgers, and that's that they better "pray" Tatis doesn't need to miss time.

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Manny Machado says Dodgers need to 'pray' Fernando Tatis Jr. doesn't miss time after star hit in hand by pitch

The rivalry has now reached a boiling point, especially with a pivotal player like Tatis in danger of missing time. Of course, that ultimately depends on what the CT scan reveals on Tatis' hand. After the game, Tatis' x-rays were inconclusive, and when asked about how his hand felt, the star said "not good."

Regarding Tatis, he is no stranger to getting plunked by Dodgers pitchers, intentional or not. According to ESPN, this is the fifth time that Tatis got hit by a pitch thrown by a Dodgers player since the 2024 season.

Ohtani was plunked in the bottom of the ninth inning of Thursday's game, getting hit in the shoulder blade. But the two-way superstar waved off his teammates, and was spotted talking with the Padres dugout in a peaceful manner.

Roberts said there was no intention of throwing at Tatis. But Schildt said that it's not a coincidence that it happened.

"We got a guy who's getting X-rays right now, is one of the best players in the game, fortunately on our team, and this guy has taken shots, OK?" Shildt said, h/t ESPN. "And before this series, and I can back this up with complete evidence, the track records speak for themselves -- teams that I manage don't get into altercations like this because teams that I manage don't throw at people. But also, teams I manage don't take anything.

"And after a while, I'm not going to take it. And I'm not going to take it on behalf of Tati, I'm not going to take it on behalf of the team, intentional or unintentional. It's really that simple. That's how this game is played. And if you want to call that old-school, then yeah, we'll play old-school baseball."

Through 72 games this season, Tatis recorded a .270 batting average, a .354 on-base percentage, a .457 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, 31 RBI, 55 runs, and 75 hits in 278 at-bats. In those at-bats, Tatis was hit by a pitch four times.

Padres fans should find out the extent of Tatis' hand injury at some point on Friday.