Machado's two-run blast powers Padres into top wild card spot
Brady Charette
Host · Writer
LOS ANGELES — Manny Machado has made a habit of playing the villain in Los Angeles. On Wednesday night, he added another chapter to one of baseball's best rivalries.
The veteran third baseman launched a two-run home run off Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, powering the San Diego Padres to a 5-1 victory over the National League West champion Dodgers at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium and into the National League's top Wild Card spot.
Manny Machado and the @Padres strike first! pic.twitter.com/CDkyrz36x1
— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2026
The 34-year-old's fourth inning blast to dead center not only marked his 29th of the season, but Machado's 29th career home run against Los Angeles. That swing combined with 5 2/3 scoreless innings from San Diego's stellar bullpen helped the Padres snap a four-game losing streak to the Dodgers and gave the surging Friars their 14th win in 16 games.
Left-hander Robbie Ray made his 31st start of the season and ninth as a Padre, allowing seven hits and one run across 3⅓ innings — marking the third time Ray has failed to reach the fifth inning since joining San Diego.
With Ray unable to work deep into the game, San Diego's bullpen was tasked with recording 14 outs against the back-to-back World Series champions on the road in a pivotal divisional matchup.
The Padres' strength delivered.
Five different relievers combined for six strikeouts while surrendering just three hits and no runs. Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez fired two scoreless frames, lowering his ERA to 2.25 in 72 innings this season. The 22-year-old has proven to be a key component of San Diego's playoff push alongside left-handers Adrian Morejon and Wandy Peralta and flamethrowing closer Mason Miller.
After allowing a leadoff double to Andy Pages in the sixth, Rodriguez punched out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman before forcing Mookie Betts to fly out to end the threat.
San Diego's pitching staff consistently worked out of traffic, neutralizing Los Angeles' superstars — Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Betts to just one hit in 13 at-bats.
While the pitching staff kept Los Angeles' stars in check, Fernando Tatis Jr. continued to swing a hot bat. The star right fielder collected his fourth three-hit game of September and extended his hitting streak to six games. Tatis has recorded four games with three or more hits this month.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Sep 23, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) slides under the tag by Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium.
An offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories early in the season has now lifted San Diego to a season-high 18 games above .500 and an MLB-best 15-5 record in September.
With the victory, San Diego (88-70) now sits one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card standings with four games remaining in the regular season.
The Padres can punch their ticket to the postseason for the third consecutive year on Thursday with a win over the Dodgers or an Arizona Diamondbacks loss to the Colorado Rockies.
The sooner San Diego can clinch a playoff spot, the better. It would give manager Craig Stammen the ability to line up his starting rotation and decrease the workload on his high-leverage arms out of the bullpen in the final series against Arizona.
However, the goal shouldn't be just clinching at this stage — it should be securing the No. 4 seed and giving the hottest team in baseball an opportunity to bring postseason baseball back to Petco Park.
