Before arriving in San Diego, Manny Machado had averaged 36 homers over the last four seasons, starting with his Age 22 campaign in 2015. His slugging percentage had dipped below .500 at season’s end once in that window.
So a 20-game homerless streak was the least of his concerns when his first-inning homer got the Padres started on a 3-1 win over the Red Sox. He’d endured worse.
“Coming out with a win is always what matters,” Machado said. “I don’t care what I do, honestly. It’s all about W’s. At the end of the year, we’ll see what the stats are, whatever it is.