Wondering what's in store tonight as series continues

BOSTON - The Orioles and Red Sox shouldn't be allowed to play together for a while. They have other friends. Separate the two teams and see if they start to miss each other and make up.

The ugliness won't leave this series, just as it lingered in Baltimore like body odor. Bad slides, hit batters, pitches thrown behind hitters, racial slurs in the stands, more pitches throw at or behind hitters. Benches are warned, managers are fuming, and there's the very real and disturbing possibility that benches will empty tonight.

The Orioles are furious that Chris Sale threw a fastball behind Manny Machado's knees last night. They weren't too keen on Matt Barnes firing one behind Machado's head at Camden Yards prompting a four-game suspension.

The Red Sox haven't forgiven Machado for injuring Dustin Pedroia on April 21 on a late slide into second base, spikes riding high into the back of his calf. Doesn't matter to them that Machado came off the bag to hold up Pedroia, apologized and contacted him via text message immediately after the game.

Dylan Bundy hit Mookie Betts on the hip Monday night. Doesn't matter to them that Bundy was holding a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning and probably didn't want to bring the tying run to the plate while also working on a two-hit shutout. It still looked bad.

Eduardo Rodriguez also tried to hit Machado back at Camden Yards. Machado has reached the point where he's imploring the Red Sox to go ahead and drill him.

"You're going to (expletive) hit me, hit me," he said. "Go ahead. (Expletive) hit me. Don't let this (expletive) keep lingering, (expletive) around and keep trying to (expletive) hit people."

The strange thing is he actually kept saying "expletive." OK, not really, but it's a funny thought.

Red Sox manager John Farrell implied that Sale "missed his spot." I'm assuming that he's referencing a mole on Machado's knee.

"He was going in with a fastball and pulled it in," Farrell said. "He threw 115 pitches tonight. I don't know that you're going to hit the spot every single time you throw the baseball."

Sale didn't care that Machado flipped out after the game. In fact, he was pretty flip about it.

"Whatever, man. I'm not losing sleep tonight," he said.

"I can't speak on what he says. I don't know what he said. I'm not too worried about it either."

There's a lot less to worry about when you're a pitcher who doesn't have to bat. Ask Barnes.

Umpires must attempt to seize control tonight while the managers are exchanging lineup cards. Pedroia, the leader in the Red Sox clubhouse, can't or won't stop his pitchers from aiming at Machado. No one on the outside knows which it is, but it's a topic of conversation in the Orioles clubhouse and further fuels their anger.

If Machado is drilled tonight, there's a decent chance that he's going to rush the mound. If Orioles starter Kevin Gausman hits anyone, whether or not it's intentional, it could lead to the same response, or at least the gathering of both teams on the field for a scrum. We're talking about suspensions and the risk of injury. It can't happen and something must be done to stop it.

"They're probably going to try to hit me again once again," Machado told MASN's Gary Thorne in a much calmer manner than what he exhibited a minute later in front of Boston and national media and three Orioles beat writers. "I'm just going to have to wear it and see what happens. If I've got to take care of business on my own, then I'm going have to do something."

He doesn't mean a strongly worded letter.

Barnes threw behind Machado's head, and the third baseman ripped an RBI double to center field. Sale threw a 98 mph heater behind Machado's knees, and the third baseman homered over the Green Monster.

Hopefully, that's how Machado continues to exact his revenge. Hopefully, this nonsense of throwing fastballs at heads and knees stops before someone is seriously hurt.