Machado Ties Up Piece of Padres Home Run History in 5-1 Win Over Giants

If one home run can erase the bad memory of another, Manny Machado’s first-inning blast served more than one purpose for the Padres in their 5-1 win over the Giants Friday.

The Friars, who saw a potential 3-0 win evaporate the day before when Robert Suarez gave up a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, were in need of a little quick relief.

Machado gave it to them – and made a little Padre history at Petco Park too – with an assist from shaky defense by San Francisco.

Giant starter Mason Black gave up hits to the first two batters he faced, Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. Jurickson Profar then sent a fly ball to right center, and Mike Yastrzemski, with the runners on the move, fired the ball back to the infield.

But shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald cut off the throw and in trying to catch Tatis, threw the ball away, allowing both Arraez and Tatis to score.

Machado capped the chaos by sending a 2-2 pitch deep to left center for his 24th homer of the year. And he wasn’t done, adding an RBI single in the fifth and a second homer to lead off the eighth.

The homers were landmark shots, Machado’s 162nd and 163rd as a Padre, as he tied Nate Colbert for the team home-run record.

“It’s a great honor, you know, in such a short period of time in San Diego, to be up there on the leaderboards and you know, (to) be a part of history is always pretty special,” the slugger said in a post-game interview from the field.

With the win, the Padres gained on two foes – the Dodgers, who lost Friday, in the division race, and the Diamondbacks, who also fell, in the fight for the top wild-card spot. The Friars have 19 games to play, with the final six on the road in L.A. and Arizona.

Dylan Cease takes the mound Saturday, with Joe Musgrove set to follow Sunday.