Despite being 80-68, the San Diego Padres have been crumbling since the trade deadline.
San Diego has lost four of their last five series, including getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles to begin September. A lot hasn’t gone well for the talented Padres squad recently, but one of their star players may be back on the right track.
Third baseman Manny Machado has been struggling. Going into Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, Machado had been hitting just .097 with two home runs this month.
ESPN staff released their mid-September power rankings on Thursday, and the Padres ranked ninth, due to the team’s “big three” slumping since the start of August.
“For as talented as the Padres' roster looks since the trade deadline, their offense still lacks punch. And it's not hard to see why,” wrote Alden Gonzalez on Thursday. “Since the start of August, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Manny Machado -- the three players who make up the top three spots in the lineup -- are slashing a combined .227/.297/.338. Machado, in particular, has produced only a .193 batting average in that stretch, and he's just 4-for-37 since the start of September. Padres manager Mike Shildt expressed confidence in his star third baseman recently, telling reporters: “He'll figure it out. He's Manny Machado.” He needs to be.”
Machado may be figuring it out, as the seven-time All-Star looked more like himself in the batter’s box on Friday. He went 2-for-3 with a long home run and a walk.
Though the team didn’t get the victory, seeing Machado make a positive impact given his recent struggles should make Padres fans breathe a little easier.
Machado, who prides himself on playing through wear-and-tear, talked about taking an off day on Sept. 3 in which he spoke about how he probably should have taken one earlier in the year.
“It's a grind for sure but at this point there's no time to take a day off,” said Machado earlier this month. “You know I should have taken one earlier in the year, but at this point there's 22 games left and there's no time to sit back and sit on your heels.”
Machado is statistically having a great season, though his recent struggles may take away from that. He is hitting .274 with 24 home runs, 85 RBI and a .793 OPS in 148 games.
San Diego needs Machado to get hot down the stretch, as he is the ultimate key to this team’s success. The Padres are just two-and-a-half games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West with 14 games remaining.