The Padres dropped another game to the Angels Wednesday, but more importantly Manny Machado gave them a scare as well.
Manager Mike Shildt described his star’s injury as a “mild, low-grade strain of the upper hip flexor” in post-game interviews and said Machado’s status was day-to-day.
“When you deal with something like that, let’s just err on the side of caution,” Shildt said of the decision to remove the third baseman from the game in the fourth inning after he showed discomfort while running out a ground ball to first base.
It was a disheartening trip to Anaheim, where the Angels swept the Padres, who lost 3-2, the second one-run loss in the series. They also slipped under .500 again.
That’s despite the efforts of Fernando Tatis Jr., who went 4-for-4, extending his hit streak to 11 games.
The Padres trailed 3-0 in the sixth – Dylan Cease had given up a pair of home runs in the first and second – when Luis Arraez came to the plate after Luis Campusano’s leadoff single. He doubled to drive in the catcher, and Tatis followed with a single to bring Arraez home.
But the promising beginning sputtered as the Angels retired Donovan Solano, who had replaced Machado, Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar to end the threat.
The Padres’ injury woes are piling up with Joe Musgrove back on the injured list as he continues to battle elbow inflammation and Yu Darvish (groin) and Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) already out. Arraez also is contending with a tender shoulder.
The Friars return to Petco Park Thursday to welcome the Diamondbacks for a four-game series. They will send Randy Vásquez, Michael King, Matt Waldron and rookie Adam Mazur – who made his big-league debut Tuesday in a no-decision against the Angels – to the mound.
