SAN DIEGO – Even as the bulk of their offense has struggled in the early part of the season, the Padres have found themselves a useful recipe for success: pitching, defense and a whole lot of Manny Machado.
That formula worked to perfection in a 4-1 victory over Cincinnati on Monday night at Petco Park. Sean Manaea continued his excellent start to his Padres tenure, pitching six innings of one-run ball – though his ERA actually rose to 1.42.
In the meantime, the Padres continued their record-setting errorless start to the season, having played 12 straight games without committing an error – a modern era record.
And at the plate, Machado stayed red-hot, going 3-for-4 with a homer and a double, falling a triple shy of the cycle. He scorched all three hits and is now batting .354 this season, while the rest of the Padres’ offense has mostly slumped, save for a couple outbursts.
The Padres always knew they’d need Machado to anchor their offense while they await the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. from a fractured left wrist. (And on that front, they got a small bit of positive news on Monday.) Twelve games into the season, Machado has done his part.