Machado exits with leg injury, but Padres have bigger concerns

ANAHEIM -- We'll start here: The Padres avoided the worst.

In the top of the fourth inning at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night, third baseman Manny Machado ran hard down the line, attempting to beat out a double play. He came up injured as he approached first base, hobbling up the line. After being evaluated by a trainer, Machado would limp off the field and exit the game -- an eventual 3-2 loss to the Angels.

Afterward came the relief: It's a mild right hip flexor strain, the Padres said. Manager Mike Shildt called Machado "day to day." Machado said there's a chance he could play against the Diamondbacks in Thursday's series opener.

It's not ideal, particularly for a team that recently lost its second baseman and two of its best starters. But a mild injury to Machado -- provided it remains "mild" -- wasn't the worst part of the night.

That would be the three-game sweep at the hands of the last-place AL West Angels that sent the Padres back below .500.

"Tough series, I'm not going to kid you," said Shildt.

On Sunday, the Padres were an inning away from moving four games above .500 for the first time this season. They surrendered three runs in the ninth in Kansas City, then dropped three against the Angels this week -- games full of baserunning mistakes and missed opportunities.

Wednesday saw Luis Arraez run into an easy out at third base in the top of the first inning. He'd attempted to advance when Fernando Tatis Jr.'s infield hit kicked away from third baseman Luis Rengifo.

"It's right in front of him," Shildt said. "He makes a decision. Luis' instincts are good. … He saw it, took a shot at it. It didn't work out. But I'll trust our players' and Luis' instincts."

After falling behind 3-0 on a pair of homers off Dylan Cease, the Padres cut the deficit to one on Wednesday. But they left runners in scoring position in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, en route to a fourth consecutive loss.

Amid that losing streak, the standings paint an interesting picture for the Padres. They're 32-33, below .500 for the first time since May 25. But they also occupy the final Wild Card spot.

In the last month, the Padres have won series against the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and Royals -- all teams currently in playoff positions. But, they've also been swept by the Rockies and Angels.

That maddening inconsistency can be viewed in two ways. The Padres remain very much alive, but they've also missed opportunities to entrench themselves as contenders in a wide-open National League.

"I've seen the standings, and most of the teams are under .500," said Tatis, who tied a career-high with four hits. "They're in the place that they're at. But in the same way, I still feel like this group can play way better baseball."

Few would dispute that. But with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Xander Bogaerts on the injured list, there are suddenly major question marks. For the time being, Machado, at least, isn't one of those.

"We're all going to have to step up," he said. "This team has been built along that. We talked about that in Spring Training. It's going to take a lot of us. … It's a tough part of the season. We've just got to keep grinding, keep going, keep pulling. This is going to make us stronger."

The injury comes at an inopportune time for Machado. After a slow start, he entered play Wednesday riding a 13-game on-base streak, where he batted .356. On Monday night, he snapped the longest homerless drought of his career at 99 at-bats.

Afterward, Machado said he felt sore. If it were up to him, he said, he'd play Thursday. But that's contingent upon how he feels in the morning. At the time of the injury, he even lobbied Shildt to remain in the game but noted that the skipper "made the executive decision to be smart."

With or without Machado, a pivotal weekend looms. Last year, the D-backs finished two games ahead of the Padres for the final Wild Card spot. This year might be every bit as tight.

"We've got to turn the page as quick as possible," Tatis said. "We know how to do it. We've shown small signs that we can do it as a team, as a group. It's up to us now to bring it back."