Jack Flaherty, Manny Machado in war of words as NLDS gets heated

There’s no California Love between Jack Flaherty and Manny Machado.The Dodgers’ starting pitcher and the Padres’ star third baseman had a war of words twice Sunday night during San Diego’s 10-2 Game 2 win that evened NLDS at 1-all.Flaherty told Machado to “Sit the f–k down motherf–ker” after striking him out in the top of the sixth and then the two jawed at each other during the bottom of the inning.“Just going back and forth, competition right?” Machado said.“Things happen between the lines, people just going back and forth.

He’s competing for his ball club and I’m trying to get a big hit for my team, so, yeah, man.This is the beauty of postseason baseball, right?”Machado and Flaherty provided differing stories for why the two chirped at each other late in Sunday’s game, with Machado insinuating that it was Flaherty hitting Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

earlier in the inning and Flaherty asserting that Machado crossed a line by throwing balls in the Dodgers’ dugout.It all unfolded in the sixth inning with the Padres leading, 3-1, after Flaherty started the inning by beaning Tatis, who had been 2-for-2 with a homer and a double at that point.Machado believes Flaherty purposefully hit Tatis, who is 5-for-8 with two homers in the series.“When you try to hit our best hitter, get him out.You can’t get him out, don’t hit him, right?” Machado said.

“They got the best player in the game, right? (Shoehi) Ohtani.We don’t go out there and try to hit Ohtani.

We try to get him, right? Don’t go out there and try to hit my guy.”He added: “Try to hit (Tatis) on a sinker in after a bomb and a double off of him? I’ll let you guys decide that.”Flaherty countered that hitting Tatis down two runs in a playoff game isn’t a smart move.“I missed in the first inning and I threw the ball over the middle.I wasn’t going to miss over the plate again.

But I’ve got no reason to hit a guy to start the sixth.As good as he�...