DETROIT -- Before the Detroit Tigers' bullpen blew up another strong outing from a starting pitcher Sunday night, and before David Ortiz showed again how he is drawn to a big moment, all eyes in the Detroit and Boston clubhouses were locked into the televised drama playing out miles from here, in Baltimore.

The players watched replay after replay of Manny Machado flinging his bat after a couple of inside pitches, at the end of a weekend of dust-ups between Machado and the Oakland Athletics.

"Manny's got some things to learn," said one player here in Detroit, shaking his head.

As always, the situation almost certainly has more layers than meets the eye.