SAN DIEGO -- The Padres had been looking for a chance to give Manny Machado a rest day. But it’s tricky. They’re in the middle of a playoff push -- looking to clinch a postseason spot in the coming week and still aiming to chase down the Dodgers in the National League West. These games are important.
Machado himself noted as much when asked about the possibility recently. Perhaps he should have taken more of a breather amid the dog days. He had started every game this season. But at this point on the calendar, he wondered if there was a day he could afford to take off.
Turns out, Sunday was just the day.
Even without Machado in the lineup for the first time this season, the offense flourished in the Padres’ 9-6 victory in their series finale against the Rockies at Petco Park. They stormed out to a 7-0 lead, then held on when things got dicey late.
“We won,” Machado said afterward when asked about his day off. “That’s all that matters.”
Count it as a win-win. Although he broke out with home runs on Friday and Saturday, Machado had been mired in a slump for most of the past month. On Sunday, he got some much-needed rest. Tacked onto the forthcoming off-day on Monday, it could be a very useful reset.
Meanwhile, the Padres were also without Luis Arraez, a day after he was struck in the face by an errant throw during warm-ups. Arraez is fine and is expected to play Tuesday. But the Padres decided to give him the day off.
Without their regular Nos. 2 and 3 hitters, the San Diego offense did not miss a beat. Jackson Merrill hit a three-run homer. Fernando Tatis Jr. clinched his first career 30-steal season, his first 100-run season and tied a career high with his 148th hit. Five Padres had multiple hits, including Machado’s replacement at third base for the day, Jose Iglesias.
“Much deserved off-days for those guys,” said Gavin Sheets, who roped a crucial two-run insurance double in the eighth inning. “I feel like the whole offense stepped up knowing that, ‘Hey, we’ve got two of our guys out today.’”
With the win, the Padres inched closer to a postseason clinch, which can come as soon as Friday. In the Wild Card race, they picked up another game on the Reds and Giants, who both lost on Sunday. And they kept pace with the Dodgers in the NL West race, 2 1/2 games back.
Perhaps more importantly, the Padres’ offense looked the way it will need to look if they’re going to make a deep run into October. They scored 20 runs over the past two games and got contributions from everywhere.
On Sunday, they played small ball in the first inning, capitalizing on a couple bunt hits. Then, they got the long ball in the second inning, when Merrill sprayed his homer to the opposite field.
The Padres, of course, could use a bit more where that came from. They rank 29th in the Majors in home runs. But they also insist they aren’t going to chase power.
“We like to do it all,” said manager Mike Shildt. “We like to slug -- we love to slug, actually. But we like to do all the little things that come with it, too.”
Because of their complete offensive performance, the Padres were able to endure a rare hiccup from their vaunted bullpen. Starter Yu Darvish was sharp and exited with a six-run lead, but the Rockies cut it to one by the seventh. Nonetheless, Mason Miller and Robert Suarez nailed it down.
Now, a crucial week looms. The Padres packed and headed to New York for a three-game series against the Mets, who are also in the midst of their own playoff push. The Dodgers, meanwhile, will host the Phillies, who have the league’s second-best record. In other words: There’s a chance to make up ground -- and a chance to lose ground.
Of course, that’s generally not the way that ballplayers think.
“Nothing changes; we keep playing our game,” Machado said. “Nothing is set in stone. So we keep playing our best baseball we could possibly play. Continue playing baseball, don’t really think of anything ahead. Just enjoy this off-day, come back and play a really tough team that’s in the same position that we are.
“All we can worry about and take care of is the business that we can take care of on Tuesday.”
Rested and refreshed.