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Hit on his left elbow on Friday by a fastball from starter Nick Pivetta that caused benches and bullpens to empty, Contreras was plunked on his left wrist by a 95.2 mph fastball from Saturday’s starter Randy Vasquez. The second hit by pitch in as many days drew some frustration from Contreras while he walked down the first base line.

“I'm pretty much fed up,” Contreras said. “Like I said earlier today, I'm not trying to get injured or a broken hand, broken finger. I think nobody will feel sorry for me, but that's enough. I know they're not trying to hit me on purpose, but when you get hit around the wrist, like I did tonight, it's really scary.”

The moment between Contreras and Vasquez did not escalate as it appeared to be unintentional by the righty. Tensions rose in the fifth inning when Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore’s first pitch of the frame hit Machado on the left elbow, leading warnings to be issued to both teams. In the ninth inning, an 0-2 fastball from rookie Andre Granillo that hit Machado led dugouts and bullpens to flow onto the field, and Cardinals assistant coach Jon Jay’s ejection after he and Machado, a fellow Miami-area native and once friend, exchanged words.

“Having everybody's back like we did tonight, I think that's the right way. Hopefully it ends there,” Contreras, who was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning, said of his team’s handling of the multiple hit by pitches. “In the last at-bat, I got hit again. I knew it was going to happen, but I guess it's part of the game and MLB will have to do something about it.”

A season ago, Contreras missed about a week in April because of a bone bruise in his left hand after Padres starter Joe Musgrove hit him with a pitch, marking the second time he was hit in a span of three games during a series in San Diego. Contreras also had his season cut short in the final week of August because of a fractured right middle finger sustained on a pitch that hit him during a road trip to Minnesota.

The two hit by pitches on Saturday gave Contreras 17 on the season. He ended Saturday tied for the second most across the majors and with the most in the NL.

“At the end of the day, you've just got a bunch of dudes playing baseball with a lot of passion,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “… It's going to happen from time to time, but I think you've got two teams that are fighting hard for what's next, and I don't have an issue with it.”

When Contreras was hit with Vasquez’s fastball in the fourth inning, the Cardinals trailed 2-1 after San Diego scored runs off Liberatore, who tossed 4 1/3 innings in his first start of the second half. The Padres pushed across a run in the second inning on a single from Bryce Johson that scored Jake Cronenworth from first base, who was running on the pitch with two outs and Johnson in a 3-2 count and who took advantage of a fielding error in center field by Victor Scott II.

A Padres’ lead erased by an RBI double Jordan Walker hit to center field was regained in the fourth inning on a bunt hit from Johnson that allowed Cronenworth to score from third base.

The Cardinals (54-52) were held to two singles and a walk by Padres relievers following Vazquez’s exit with two outs in the fifth inning. Contreras’ hit by pitch in the ninth inning brought the game-tying run to the plate with no outs against closer Robert Suarez. The Cardinals' opportunity to tie the game evaporated on a flyout by Arenado and a forceout from Winn.

The loss dropped the Cardinals to 2.5 games behind the Padres in the standings for the third NL Wild Card spot. The on-field fracas showed a glimpse of the club’s unity as they look to continue charging in the playoff chase.

“It's really good, especially right now, where we've been going through a tough stretch. It seems like everybody has everybody's back here, and it's good to see that tonight,” Contreras said.

Liberatore, whose first outing of the second half was pushed back to protect his workload, said the fastball he hit Machado with was unintentional. Pitching with a game-time temperature of 93 degrees, Liberatore referenced his frequent use of the rosin bag behind to mound in search of a consistent grip on the baseball.

Liberatore said he attempted to pitch Machado inside and noted his success in doing so during their first encounter in the loss, which resulted in a flyout by Machado on a 1-1 fastball thrown in on the right-handed slugger.

“Machado was another guy that you've got to make some noise in on,” Liberatore said. “The first at-bat of the game against him tonight, I was able to get something in there, and it was a good result. I tried to go back to that, and the ball slipped a little bit.”

When players and coaches flooded the infield in the ninth inning, Machado and Jay could be seen exchanging what appeared to be heated words that led to some pushing and shoving between players and coaches of both teams as the two were separated.

Contreras could be seen holding back Machado and walking with him down to first base to deescalate the tension and prevent a brawl that could result in injuries, Contreras said. Once Contreras ushered Machado down to first base and players and coaches returned to the benches, only Jay was ejected before the game resumed.

“I was just talking to Manny and saying that was not on purpose,” Contreras said. “It was the second time he got hit there. But it was an 0-2 count. I got hit in an 0-2 count (by Suarez). … It clearly seemed that they're trying to go up and in with two strikes and they don't care if they're going to hit me or not.”