Dodgers: Manny Machado Drove From Arizona Just to Face LA
Whenever the Dodgers and Padres face off, it always feels like there’s an extra level of excitement. That dates back to the 2020 season when San Diego started to give Los Angeles a run at the National League West crown. And after a down 2021 season, the Padres are back to compete.
Thursday night was just the fourth game of the season between the 2 NL West teams. And after Justin Turner went deep twice against Joe Musgrove, the Dodgers pulled ahead of the Padres 3 games to 1 on the year. They now go into Friday night’s game up 2.5 games in the west.
But it’s a series that the Padres tend to bring up the energy for. Manny Machado must have been very hyped for it because he drove all the way from Arizona in hopes of getting to play the Dodgers on Friday night. Rather than fly with the team and risk swelling in his injured ankle, he drive himself.
Instead of an hour-long flight from Arizona with the #Padres, Manny Machado drove to Los Angeles from Arizona (about a 7-hour drive) to keep the swelling in his ankle down. Wanted to give himself the best chance to play, and flying typically increases swelling in your body.
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) July 1, 2022
Machado made an immediate impact on the game too. He doubled down the line in left field and scored on a single off the bat of Nomar Mazara in the first. That would be his only contribution to the game though as the Dodgers pitching struck him out in his next 3 at-bats.
The Dodgers and Padres will be back at it tonight with Blake Snell taking on Tony Gonsolin, who is in search of his 10th win of the season. First pitch is set for 7:10 pm tonight.
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