Manny Machado Leads Padres to Break-Winning Victory

Manny Machado's three hits on Sunday, including a game-tying single in the eighth inning, helped the Padres secure a 5-4 victory over Toronto in their first-half finale on Sunday, July 18.

What happened?

The Padres played like a .500 team for most of the first half, and they entered the All-Star break sitting squarely at 48-48. The team rallied for a crucial victory over the reigning American League champs, narrowing their gap to the final National League Wild Card spot from 5 1/2 games to 3 1/2.

Why it matters for Manny Machado

Machado's strong finish to the first half has been a welcome sight for the Padres. After spending a sizable chunk of the past 3 1/2 months with an OPS around .600 and the worst batting average in baseball, Machado went 8-for-16 across the final four games, including 3-for-4 on Sunday afternoon. With his sixth-inning single, Machado raised his batting average above .200 for the first time since the start of play May 8.

What comes next?

The Trade Deadline looms three weeks away, and the Padres would be wise to start playing their best baseball soon. General manager A.J. Preller made it clear on Saturday that pretty much every option -- buying, selling, some combination of both -- is "on the table." The Padres need Machado hitting like this, and it looks like they might be getting it.

The margins were fine on Sunday, and the Padres won on those margins. They fell behind in the top of the eighth inning when Adrian Morejon -- asked to cover two innings -- surrendered Jonatan Clase's go-ahead single. But the Padres answered instantaneously. Xander Bogaerts singled and stole second to start the frame. Machado followed with an eight-pitch at-bat, ending it with his game-tying single.

Machado's RBI single in the eighth tied the game at 4, and the Padres eventually won 5-4. The team's resilient rally was a major step in the right direction, and it's a good taste in their mouth heading into the All-Star break.

The Padres will head into the break sitting squarely at 48-48, and they'll look to build on this momentum when they return on Friday. With Machado hitting like this, the team's best baseball is still ahead of them.

It's a long season, and there's a lot of baseball still left to be played. But the Padres would be wise to start playing their best baseball soon. The Trade Deadline looms three weeks away, and the team needs to start winning if they want to approach the Deadline as buyers.

Machado's strong finish to the first half has been a welcome sight for the Padres. He went 8-for-16 across the final four games, including 3-for-4 on Sunday afternoon. With his sixth-inning single, Machado raised his batting average above .200 for the first time since the start of play May 8.

The Padres need Machado hitting like this, and it looks like they might be getting it. Power-wise, he remained somewhat productive with 19 first-half homers. But they need more than what he's given them overall.

The Padres' resilient rally was a major step in the right direction, and it's a good taste in their mouth heading into the All-Star break. They'll look to build on this momentum when they return on Friday.

The Trade Deadline looms three weeks away, and the Padres would be wise to start playing their best baseball soon. General manager A.J. Preller made it clear on Saturday that pretty much every option -- buying, selling, some combination of both -- is "on the table."

The Padres will head into the break sitting squarely at 48-48, and they'll look to build on this momentum when they return on Friday. With Machado hitting like this, the team's best baseball is still ahead of them.

It's a long season, and there's a lot of baseball still left to be played. But the Padres would be wise to start playing their best baseball soon.