SAN DIEGO — Padres manager Mike Shildt on Tuesday addressed the commotion created by his Dodgers counterpart.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that he felt Padres third baseman Manny Machado had purposely thrown a ball in his direction before the sixth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Roberts called the throw “unsettling” and at another point in a news conference said the Padres embrace being the “villain-type” role.

“I come from maybe just a different philosophy of dealing with this,” Shildt said Tuesday ahead of Game 3. “… Listen, I got into this game to help players get the most out of their God-given ability and to compete on the field and respect the opponent. I’m not nor will I ever disparage another player on another team, especially anybody I’ve managed in the past, nor will I do it to a collective team. That’s not how I want to operate. I have a lot of respect for their club, the players on their club.”

Roberts managed Machado in 2018 after he was acquired by the Dodgers in a trade with the Orioles. Machado signed as a free agent with the Padres the following offseason.

Informed of Shildt’s comments, Roberts declined to comment.

Video of the incident in question shows Machado throwing a ball on the ground toward the Dodgers dugout. The ball had been used by Yu Darvish in warmups, but it hit the ground on catcher Kyle Higashioka’s throw to second base following Darvish’s final warmup pitch and was replaced by a new ball.

It is common practice in that circumstance for a player who ends up with the ball after it is thrown around among the infielders to throw the ball out of play. Often, that is into the stands or toward a batboy in his team’s dugout, but can sometimes be thrown toward the other team’s batboy. MLB is reportedly viewing video of the incident. However, three men who serve as on-field personnel for other teams found it laughable that this would rise to the level of punishment for Machado even as they agreed he threw the ball with more vigor than normal.

“It was unsettling,” Roberts said. “Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. There was intent behind it. It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very — it’s pretty disrespectful. So I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it.”

Even if Machado’s throw in this case could be construed to have been slightly harder than would be expected, it would be difficult to infer that anyone in the Dodgers dugout would have been in danger from the throw or even in the path of the throw.

Shildt said he believed there was “zero” chance Machado, who has one of the better and most accurate arms among MLB third basemen, was trying to hit Roberts.

“I don’t think there was,” he said. “I mean, listen, that’s the answer to it. I don’t want to cast stones. I’m just not. The answer to your question is, ‘No.’ I don’t think there was any intent at all with that. Manny has exceptional arm talent.”

The throw that riled Roberts came after a charged top of the sixth inning in which the Padres took issue with Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch and yelling at Machado to, “Sit the (expletive) down, (expletive)” after striking him out.

Flaherty yelled at Machado from the dugout after the third baseman’s throw in that direction, and their shouting match was caught on camera.

Both of them addressed that incident Sunday night after the Padres’ 10-2 victory evened the series at a game apiece. Machado acknowledged throwing the ball toward the dugout and said he does it regularly to get the ball to a batboy.

On Monday, after Roberts’ comments, Machado declined to engage in a back and forth.

“I spoke about this last night after the game,” he said. “I’ve already turned the page, and I’m just looking forward to playing in front of our fans ... and preparing for another tough battle against a very good team.”

Sunday’s game became even more fraught with tension before the bottom of the seventh inning, in which the game was delayed for more than 10 minutes when objects were thrown by fans in the direction of Padres players.

“Very tough environment the other evening,” Shildt said. “I thought they handled themselves exceptionally well. Yeah, they had the right to defend themselves, but they also were able to stay focused and participate. And, oh, by the way, we play a baseball game. … Our club doesn’t need to be defended. I love the joy that our club brings. I love the enthusiasm they bring. I love the freedom they play with. And, again, I love their heart for our community and our organization. That’s as far as I’ll go.”

Shildt was asked if the situation needed to be de-escalated or if this sort of attention was good for the game.

“I don’t think it’s good for the game,” he said. “I think this game stands on its own merits. We have the best game, I’m biased, I’ve been in it 100 years. But the theater that is postseason baseball, the excitement of it. … But our game, with all the different really good storylines — you look at the number of countries represented in our game today, the number of languages. You look at the passionate fan bases that love the teams. That’s what we’re here for. That’s what this game’s about. This game, just like the players, doesn’t need any defense, doesn’t need anything to heighten it, to bring any attention to it. It’s a beautiful game that’s very well run from our leadership. And the theater of this sport is plenty enough.”

Shildt emphatically defended Machado, who on Sunday night also called teammates together in the dugout before the eighth inning to remind them to stay calm and focused.

Machado, who made his major league debut 34 days after his 20th birthday, had multiple incidents early in his career in which he was seen as crossing the line of sportsmanship. By virtually every account, Machado has, especially this year, grown into an elder statesman and led by example far more than in the past.

“As far as Manny goes, it’s unfortunate people can’t move on from things from the past,” Shildt said. “I thought Manny’s exhibition of professionalism and leadership were on display the other night in a very tough environment. He nor I nor anyone would profess to be perfect, but Manny has made some strides that are very impressive both on and off the field. It’s been a privilege to witness that.”

The atmosphere at Petco Park was already expected to be charged enough that that Padres CEO Erik Greupner sent an email to ticket holders urging them to follow the team’s fan code of conduct.

“A healthy escalation of what we saw all season that led into the first series against Atlanta that will lead into the game tonight — a very passionate, encouraging, hungry, loud fan base that knows where the line is,” Shildt said of what he anticipates from the crowd Tuesday. “You hope there’s not one or two people that don’t do anything that cast a poor shadow, which I think probably is exactly what happened in Los Angeles, more or less. I just want to go out and play clean baseball, compete, have one more run at the end of the game and have the fans enjoy it and celebrate with us.”

©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.