O's-Red Sox, Round 2! Will fists fly at Fenway?

Manny Machado slid, spikes up, into second base, injuring Dustin Pedroia's left knee and ankle. Matt Barnes threw a 90 mph pitch at Machado's head and received a four-game suspension. And Pedroia sided with Machado, of all people, denouncing the actions of his teammate.

There isn't a reality show that can match the drama of the suddenly sizzling Boston Red Sox-Baltimore Orioles rivalry.

All of the above occurred less than two weeks ago in Baltimore. With the Orioles set to visit Fenway Park for a four-game series beginning Monday night, tensions might get hot once again.

Let's get ready to rumble? ESPN.com baseball scribes Scott Lauber and Eddie Matz discuss what has led to this point -- and what might happen next.

Who's more to blame for the bad blood?

Scott Lauber: Red Sox! Red Sox! Red Sox! Sure, Machado started all of this nonsense, but in their attempt to end it, the Red Sox doused it in gasoline and lit a match. If Barnes had plunked Machado in the hip or thigh, Machado would've taken his base, and this would all be over. Instead, Barnes tried to go up and in and instead chucked a baseball behind Machado's head. And now, according to baseball's silly macho code, the Orioles might feel compelled to retaliate. Nice going, Red Sox.

Eddie Matz: What he said. Forget about where Barnes plunked Machado. In fact, technically speaking, he didn't even plunk him -- the ball sailed behind Manny's head and hit his bat for a strike. But that's beside the point. The point is that Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez tried (unsuccessfully) to bean Machado two innings earlier with three straight fastballs -- all way inside. All straight at Manny's knees. Hit or miss, per the aforementioned silly macho code, revenge was thereby served. By piling on for seconds, Barnes opened up a can of good old-fashioned whoop-ass.

Did Pedroia handle the situation the right way?

Lauber: Considering Pedroia was the original wronged party in this whole thing, his response was admirable. Not only did he not lead the Red Sox's vigilante movement by storming the Orioles' dugout with a pitchfork, he actually tried to broker peace. And in telling Machado that "it wasn't me" who ordered Barnes to give the code red, I believe Pedroia was seeking to protect himself and his teammates from retaliation this week. Smart move, right? Here's the problem: Pedroia did all that in full view of TV cameras. If only he called Machado or sent a text message, he would have accomplished the same thing without appearing to have taken sides against the family. Good intentions, bad public relations.

Matz: Being a leader means not throwing your people under the bus, even when said bus is passing right behind them and has an unusually high chassis with extra clearance under which you could easily fit a major league pitcher. Whether or not Pedroia meant to bash Barnes, that was the net effect of his impromptu Shaggy cover. ("It wasn't me.") To Lauber's point, it was the bottom of the eighth inning in the last game of the series, which means that any potential retaliation likely wouldn't have happened until the series at Fenway. In other words, there would've been plenty of time for Pedroia to whisper in Machado's ear on the down-low. Instead, he went full Sonny Corleone.

So, will anything happen this week?

Lauber: After Barnes' botched attempt at revenge, it would hardly be a surprise to see a Sox hitter get drilled. The guess here, though, is that nothing happens. The O's seem to get way more enjoyment out of subverting the Red Sox, whether it's Buck Showalter mocking the attention they got for their teamwide flu epidemic early in the season or closer Zach Britton questioning Pedroia's leadership. The Sox had to perform two days' worth of damage control after the Barnes incident. That should have been satisfaction enough for the Orioles.

Matz: The odds of the O's retaliating are roughly equivalent to the odds of that Kylie Jenner Pespi spot winning a Clio Award. During Showalter's tenure, the Birds have gotten mixed up in their fair share of schlock. More than often than not, it's involved Machado (see: Josh Donaldson, Jonathan Papelbon, Yordano Ventura). And more often than not, Showalter's club takes the high road. As Baltimore's skipper has said in the past, "the greatest form of revenge is success." Instead of beaning someone, B-more's more interested in a Beantown beatdown.