Padres' Craig Stammen Discusses Confronting Fan For Manny Machado Comments in Trending Video

San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen was not keen on some of the comments coming from the stands at Petco Park directed at Manny Machado during Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds.

The television broadcast saw Stammen appearing to say something to fans behind the Padres dugout after the Reds' 5-3 win.

Speaking to The Athletic's Dennis Lin after the Padres rebounded with a 5-4 victory over the Reds on Wednesday, Stammen explained he responded to fans who were "saying things to us that were probably not appropriate" in Machado's direction:

"Manny was walking down the dugout (toward the home clubhouse). Manny held his tongue, and for us as coaches, we're going to take that bullet for Manny. We got Manny out of there and let the fan know what I thought about what he was saying to Manny. I didn't say one cuss word. You can look it up on Jomboy. I feel pretty proud of how I handled it. I said it in a stern voice, similar to how I talk to my kids. … It was very short. I said three sentences, and the fan said, 'I gotcha,' and we both agreed that that was time for that to end."

Stammen didn't specifically address what was being said that elicited his response.

Machado is easy target for criticism this season in San Diego as one of the faces of the lineup's overall struggles. The seven-time All-Star is hitting .172/.253/.345 in 65 games.

Of the 157 hitters who are currently qualified for the batting title, Machado ranks last in average and 156th in on-base percentage. His 68 wRC+ is the eighth-worst in MLB.

Machado is far from the only Padres player who has struggled to get it going at the plate. They rank last in MLB with 255 runs scored, slugging percentage and tied for last in on-base percentage.

Despite their hitting woes, the Padres enter play on Thursday with a respectable 35-32 record. They are one game up in the loss column on the Pittsburgh Pirates for the final wild card spot in the NL.