As August draws to a close, Manny Machado’s form is improving.
The San Diego slugger will look to continue his good form Saturday as the Padres seek a series win against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Machado had three hits, including a home run, and four RBIs as the Padres won the first game of a three-game series, 13-5, on Friday.
The six-time All-Star hit 161 home runs with San Diego, tying him with Adrian Gonzalez for second in franchise history and two behind Nate Colbert on the career home run list.
“This is amazing,” Machado said. “To be on this list in such a short amount of time is amazing. It’s definitely an honor to be on that level.”
Machado is batting .382 (13-for-34) with three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs over his last eight games. The Padres have won five of those games and remain in the running for the first wild card spot in the National League.
Rookie Jackson Merrill continues to thrive as the sixth hitter in San Diego’s lineup, having two hits, including a one-RBI single, on Friday and batting .333 (19-for-57) over his past 15 games.
“They’ve got five good hitters ahead of Merrill, so that’s one of the reasons it works,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “They’ve been in this league a lot of seasons. (Merrill) is in a good spot. He’s producing, that’s it.”
San Diego’s Randy Vazquez (4-6, 4.52 ERA) will face Tampa Bay’s Shane Baz (1-2, 3.48 ERA) on Saturday in a matchup of right-handed pitchers.
Vazquez recorded his first win in a month on Monday, pitching a 7-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing just two runs on six hits in six innings. This was his first time facing the Rays.
Buzz will pitch again after canceling his originally scheduled appearance on Sunday due to the flu. Buzz was reportedly confined to his Los Angeles hotel room but was well enough to return home on Monday.
After completing one bullpen session, Baz said he’s “100 percent ready” for Saturday’s game.
Buzz pitched well in his last appearance on Aug. 20, allowing three hits over 7 2/3 innings in a 1-0 win over the Oakland Athletics. Buzz has yet to face the Padres in his career.
Tampa Bay lost for the sixth time in eight games on Friday, with Yandy Diaz also leaving in the fourth inning with left patellar tendonitis.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Diaz “strained his knee a little bit” while trying to run from first to third base on an error in the first inning. Cash added that Diaz’s condition was evolving day-to-day and that he likely wouldn’t play Saturday.
Diaz was replaced by Jonathan Aranda, who had been recalled from Triple-A Durham prior to the game. Aranda was 0-for-2 with one RBI.
“We want to see Aranda do well because we thought highly of him before he came in,” Cash said. “And he’s been a bit inconsistent with a finger injury and an oblique injury, but it’s good to see him back.”
–Field Level Media
