Dodgers Team News

Dodgers Sweep Padres Leading to Boasting of Manny Machado Confidence

The Dodgers swept the Padres over the weekend in their first matchup since San Diego added Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury, and Josh Hader at the trade deadline. While the latest splashy additions weren’t able to help the Padres actually score more runs than the Dodgers in any of the three games, 2019’s splashy addition Manny Machado isn’t worried.

Machado is no stranger to confidence, including the time he famously bet his entire salary to a fan at Dodger Stadium that the Padres would win a World Series before the Dodgers (still waiting on that payout). And athletes often say things out of frustration that really just mean “that was an annoying question and I don’t want to answer it” — remember Kenley Jansen’s variations on the “I don’t care” theme after struggling to close games?

But with Manny, it’s not crazy to think he actually believes there’s some innate superpower included in simply being Freaking Manny Machado. He threw a bat at Josh Donaldson, kicked Jesus Aguilar in the calf, essentially ended Dustin Pedroia’s career with a questionable slide, and told a national media outlet he’ll never be the kind of player who hustles all the time — and got $300 million in free agency because he’s Freaking Manny Machado.

So maybe Manny thinks the stars will magically align when it really counts, because he’s Freaking Manny Machado and he deserves it. But after watching his team be outscored by the Dodgers 20-4 over the weekend — and contributing to Saturday’s loss with an error and then a practical demonstration that he’s not Johnny Hustle — you’d think a little humility might be in order. But humility is not Machado’s game, and it has often worked out for him in the past.

Will the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. be the spark that closes the five-runs-per-game gap? The Dodgers and Padres meet nine more times in the regular season before a potential postseason matchup — but that’s IF the Padres can advance past the Wild Card round, and THAT’S if the Padres can earn a Wild Card spot, as they’re only 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers for the final spot.

He’s Freaking Manny Machado, but is that enough?

Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!

Jeff Snider

Jeff was born into a Dodgers family in Southern California and is now raising a Dodgers family of his own in Utah. During his previous career as an executive at a technology company, he began writing about baseball in his spare time. After leaving corporate America in 2014, he started doing it professionally. Jeff wrote and edited for Baseball Essential for years before joining Dodgers Nation. He's also the co-host of the Locked On Dodgers podcast, a daily podcast that brings the smart fan's perspective on our Boys in Blue. Jeff has a degree in English from Brigham Young University. Favorite Player: Clayton Kershaw Favorite Moment: Kirk Gibson's homer will always have a place, but Kershaw's homer on Opening Day 2013 might be the winner.

4 Comments

  1. Machado has always swung the bat intending to hit the catcher in the head. Watch him!

  2. He may be Freaking Manny Machado BUT everytime I’ve seen him in games against the Dodgers this year, he’s a bust. So if Manny wants to back up his sh*t, he probably needs as sitdown about Manhood with Tia Albert.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button