Orioles manager Buck Showalter on Friday addressed Manny Machado's suspension and the impact it will have on his club in an appearance on MLB Network's High Heat.
Although initially reluctant to discuss the on-field brush-up between Machado and Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, when pressed, Showalter addressed the discipline -- a nine-game suspension for Ventura and four games for Machado -- at length.
"Most of these things are set by precedent. They want to be fair and they have to look at all sides," Showalter said. "Obviously, the people who decided aren't at the ballpark, but they do a great job with it, very consistent."
Showalter noted that the biggest challenge for his club will be playing one man short while Machado serves his suspension, which is currently under appeal.
"[Machado] did what he felt was right. We support him, we're moving on and we'll handle it," Showalter said. "We've got four guys on the [disabled list]. Nobody wants to hear about it. [Machado] will be one more, and our guys have done a great job of fighting through the challenges that all teams face, whether it's Toronto or New York or Boston or whomever. It's just part of the gig."
And while he stood by his player, Showalter didn't condone the conflict that escalated to the point of league discipline because of the example it sets for young baseball fans.
"What I do worry [about] is 9-year-old John or Mary, sitting at home, watching that and thinking that's something you're supposed to do if you compete in sports," he said. "That's the one thing. ... I don't like it."
Showalter expressed confidence that his club could weather this particular storm, as they have other adversity throughout this season. Despite Friday's 4-3 loss in 10 innings to the Blue Jays, the Orioles (36-24) have won eight of their last 10 games and are in first place in the American League East.
"The season is about shortening the bad times and stretching out the good times," Showalter said. "I've been fortunate enough to be around a team that won 100 games, and we had periods during the season where I didn't know if we were going to win another game. So you try to keep that experience in mind and grind it out.
"I'm not going to say the cliche one day at a time; it's really one pitch at a time. You've got to stay in the moment up here when you play every day."