Machado has deep feelings about Dodgers
Padres slugger hits 2 HRs vs. Hill a night after dinger off Kershaw
SAN DIEGO -- Manny Machado is making a habit of homering against his former employer.
How would the Padres' prized free-agent signing top his second-deck moonshot against Clayton Kershaw on Friday night?
With two homers in two at-bats in Saturday night's 7-6 loss to the Dodgers at Petco Park.
In the top of the first inning, Dodgers starter Rich Hill grooved a 2-1 curveball, and Machado sent it towering toward the Western Metal Supply Building in left field. It stayed just fair.
Two innings later, Machado pulverized a high fastball into the home bullpen, giving the Padres a 3-1 lead. Both homers were solo shots, and it marked Machado's 21st career multi-homer game.
“He’s going to hit,” said Padres manager Andy Green. “We’ve known that from the very beginning, and it’s good to see him really find his groove here recently. He’s taking some great swings, he’s put in a lot of work, and it’s fun watching him take off – and watching the ball jump off his bat.”
Neither of Machado's homers were quite as authoritative as his first-inning blast in his first career at-bat against Kershaw. But both were majestic, nonetheless.
Machado sent the first one a projected 387 feet, according to Statcast, with a 103 mph exit velocity and a 38-degree launch angle. The second was a 105-mph missile that traveled a projected 425 feet.
It marked the first time Machado had homered in consecutive games since last September -- when he played for the Dodgers, against the Padres.
“I have some good memories [in Los Angeles], and I enjoyed my time there," Machado said before the game. "... You can't think about that. Obviously I've had memories there. But at the end of the day, it's a new year, we have new goals. This is where you want to be.”
Before the game, Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts recalled Machado’s three-month stint in Los Angeles -- which was short, yet eventful.
"I enjoyed having Manny here," Roberts said. "I really did. To be able to write his name in the lineup every day is a good thing for a manager. The guys liked him. He helped get us to a World Series. He got a little bit of a bad rap, some of it self-induced. But he’s a heck of a ballplayer, very good competitor."
Roberts might soon tire of seeing Machado’s name on the visiting lineup card. The star infielder is in year one of a record-setting 10-year deal.