Manny homers off Kershaw -- this time, in LA

LOS ANGELES -- In the span of an offseason, Manny Machado went from Dodger to Dodger killer.

The Padres star infielder celebrated his return to Los Angeles in style -- with a mammoth 441-foot home run off former teammate Clayton Kershaw.

Machado went 3-for-4 in the Padres’ 6-3 loss on Tuesday night -- his first trip back to Dodger Stadium since he played shortstop for Los Angeles in the World Series last year. He has homered twice against Kershaw this season, and he's gone deep four times in four games against his former club.

"I had a great time here in L.A.," Machado said before the game. "We had a great run to the World Series. ... The fans took me in, the organization took me. My teammates, the staff were all beyond wonderful. It was truly an amazing time."

Nonetheless, Machado was greeted with a chorus of boos when he was introduced Tuesday night. He struck out in the first inning, but took some revenge in the fourth. With the Padres trailing, 4-1, Kershaw grooved a 1-1 fastball. Machado skyed it three-quarters of the way up the left-field pavilion.

Statcast tracked the blast at 112 mph, Machado's hardest-hit ball as a Padre -- surpassing his 111-mph rocket on May 3 at Petco Park, also against Kershaw.

“He's been one of the elite players in our game for a long time,” Kershaw said. “He signed that contract for a reason. He's just a special talent. You saw it tonight.”

Machado, of course, was one of the hottest free agents on the market this winter. He only spent half a season in Los Angeles after being dealt from Baltimore last summer. Following Machado’s run to the World Series, he inked a franchise-record 10-year deal with the Padres in February.

Machado started slowly at the plate. But he’s been red-hot lately, improving his slash line to .265/.335/.471 with nine homers this season. Four of those have come against the Dodgers -- which is noteworthy, considering that the Padres signed Machado to help narrow the gap in the National League West.

“They’re the team to beat,” Machado said. “We’re here, trying to play some good baseball, trying to contend, trying to take them down.”

In four games, he’s done his part.