SAN DIEGO (AP) — After the surging Padres’ latest victory, Manny Machado tried to catch the end of a victory by San Diego FC, the expansion MLS club in which he’s a founding partner and investor. His attention wasn’t all on the screen, however: He also had to keep a steady eye on his 1-year-old son toddling around the clubhouse.
Machado’s life has changed in his 30s, and he has more demands on his time than ever. Yet the San Diego slugger also played some of the best baseball of his career in the first quarter of his 14th major league season.
Machado extended his hitting streak to 14 games Wednesday night with two hits, two walks and the 500th run of his San Diego career over the Los Angeles Angels. It’s the second-longest streak of his career, trailing only a 16-game run with Baltimore in 2016.
Machado’s batting average is up to .340, tops in the NL. During his 2 1/2-week streak, Machado is hitting .480 (24 for 50) with five extra-base hits, nine RBIs, 15 runs scored and a 1.179 OPS.
Machado is quick to insist he’s just one part of a lineup that has kept the Padres near the top of the overall MLB standings through the first quarter of the regular season. San Diego sits at 27-15 on its day off Thursday, matching the Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers for the fewest losses in the majors.
“I’m just having some good at-bats and making some good contact,” Machado said. “We have such a special team here. It feels great to come to the ballpark every single day and be able to go do something special every single night.”
His coaches and teammates are a bit more impressed with Machado’s performances, and the underlying numbers show why.
Machado has a hit in 34 of his 42 games, including 15 multi-hit performances. His line drive percentage (32.8) is the fifth-best in the majors, and he has put many more balls in play than the four hitters in front of him. His expected batting average (.348) is second in the majors only to Aaron Judge, which means Machado is making quality contact constantly.
“Nothing surprises me about Manny Machado, but I don’t want to take it for granted, either,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “Sometimes with guys like Manny, they play well and you’re like, ‘Yeah, he’s supposed to play well.’ But he is doing a lot of things really, really well. He’s swinging the bat well, using the whole field, driving in runs, situationally aware. I just love his swing. It’s such a pretty swing to watch. Defensively he’s been fantastic, and on the bases, he’s been tremendous. He’s a complete baseball player.”
One major aspect of Machado’s recent play is drawing praise from everybody: He has nine walks and just 10 strikeouts during his surge, demonstrating the improved plate discipline of a slugger who hasn’t always been this picky.
“You’re talking about a dangerous hitter that’s got even more dangerous, because now he’s just not chasing,” Shildt said. “He’s not going to get himself out. ... He’s going to make you do something in the zone. When you’ve got that kind of talent with that kind of consistent swing, and he’s consistently (swinging) in the zone and driving the ball to all parts of the field, it’s a special thing.”
Machado’s chase rate is 21.5% during this streak — below his career average around 28% — and he has swung at only four of 40 pitches out of the strike zone in the past five games. Overall, Machado’s strikeout percentage and walk percentage this season are both fractions away from the best marks of his entire career.
He shrugs off the impressive numbers, attributing them to experience.
“Just playing the game,” Machado said. “The older you get, you know what they’re trying to do to you, or how they’re trying to attack you, so I’m just trying to have some quality at-bats.”
But his teammates have noticed Machado’s concerted effort to be disciplined, and they think it can be contagious as the Padres continue down the long road to October.
“He’s swinging at a lot of his pitches, the ones that he wants,” Xander Bogaerts said. “Not a lot of borderline pitches. When he’s swinging the bat like that, teams always tend to be a little careful with you, (but) he’s not swinging at balls. He’s not expanding as much. He’s very locked in right now.”
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