Manny Machado was annoyingly cool in final Dodgers-Padres series before playoffs

There's been no love lost between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, and with the two sides potentially heading toward a playoff clash, this week's series at Dodger Stadium felt like an appetizer for what's to come in October.

Entering Thursday's game, the two have split the first two games of the series but it's hard not to talk about Manny Machado and the night he had on Wednesday.

Before we get to the details, let's make one thing clear. Machado is the perfect front-man for the Padres. When the cameras are on him while he's in front of fans, he looks like that dude. He kisses babies, smiles, shakes hands, and laughs at the corniest of jokes.

Anyone who has paid attention to the Padres, or Machado, should be aware of the character he has when he's not in a public setting. In part, that's why it's become pretty easy to root against the Padres, considering how flippant Machado can come off.

Nonetheless, we must give him some props. Before Wednesday's game, Machado was signing autographs for young Dodgers fans at Dodger Stadium. By the looks of it, it seems that Machado was putting on the typical charade of "Hey, I'm a nice guy".

Manny Machado gave Dodgers fans an annoyingly cool moment before playoffs finally arrive

The act didn't stop there. Machado's two-run home run in the fourth inning got the scoring started for the Padres on Wednesday, and they never looked back. Machado added a sacrifice fly an inning later, and well, he became the story of the night. Speaking after the game, Machado revealed that he wound up gifting his batting gloves to a fan, coming through on a promise he made during the game.

As they say, even a blind squirrel finds a nut, and a broken clock is still right twice a day. The worst things can sometimes be true and that appears to be the case for what happened with Machado and Dodgers fans on Wednesday night. There's no need to make it out for anything other than a cool moment, but that doesn't change the reputation Machado deserves to have.

It also seems likely that if the Dodgers and Padres meet in the playoffs, there won't be as many cordial exchanges between Machado and LA fans. Instead, the expectation should be that the Padres will melt, like they always do in October, and Machado will blame anyone but himself.

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