When the Padres signed Manny Machado to a record-setting contract they imagined him doing great things in San Diego. When they signed him to a second record-setting contract they imagined (perhaps expected) he would re-write some record books at Petco Park.
Machado is doing just that. On Friday night at Petco Park, Manny launched a pair of home runs in a 5-1 win over the Giants, giving him 163 as a Friar to tie Nate Colbert for the most in franchise history. Manny's first bomb came in the 1st inning when he lofted a solo shot off San Francisco starter Mason Black.
That was just an appetizer.
In the 8th inning, Manny unloaded on a 110 MPH missile into the upper deck in left field, his 3rd hit of the night, to pull him alongside Colbert for the all-time franchise lead. As an indicator of how much Machado means to this team, Manny has driven in multiple runs in 24 games this year.
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The Padres are 24-0 in those games.
Machado also brought home a run with an RBI single, giving him 89 RBI for the season. With 19 games left to play there's a very good chance he'll reach the 100 RBI plateau for the third time in four years.
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Not to be overlooked by Machado's historic evening is the job Michael King did on the mound. The Padres starter tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball, striking out eight San Francisco hitters.
There is one potentially concerning bit of news from this game. Rookie outfielder Jackson Merrill fouled a pitch off his left leg in the 6th inning. He finished the at-bat with a strikeout then played defense in the top of the 7th inning before being removed from the lineup. The Padres say x-rays did not reveal any break and are calling the injury a left patella contusion, which is basically a really nasty bruise on the kneecap.
They won't know if he has to miss any time until later in the weekend but if it is just a bruise San Diego dodged a major catastrophe. The Friars can win the series on Saturday evening in what should be a fantastic pitcher's duel with Dylan Cease on the mound against Logan Webb.
