Padres News: Manny Machado Isn't Discouraged of Current Standings

Machado isn't worried about anything in this time of the season

The San Diego Padres have missed their superstar third baseman Manny Machado, and luckily they got him back this weekend. Manny played his first game on Friday since May 15th after suffering a small fracture in his left hand that caused him to miss 14 games and was placed in the IL for the first time since 2014. 

His first two games have been tough, as he's only collected one hit, but he'll figure it out soon. The genuine concern is with the team and their struggles to overcome the hump. The last time the Padres were .500 was on May 11th at 19-19, and as of June 4th, they stand at 27-31, four games under .500. The closest they've been to .500 was last weekend when they were 24-27. 

Things look bleak for the brown and gold, but Manny isn't worried about their place in the standings; as a matter of fact, he believes they're right where they want to be. 

“I mean, we’re right where we want to be,” Machado said. “I think we believe in each other and we know what our goal is, and how things have been rolling here as of late has been fun. … Little by little, we’re all getting back to healthy and, you know, when we’re all back together, it’s gonna be pretty fun.”

^{Via The Athletic}

I don't think that's true, but time is on their side. They're only 59 games into the season with still over 100 games left to play. There is plenty of baseball left to play and plenty of time for the Friars to figure it out. 

If Manny isn't worried, why should fans and pundits be concerned? The Padres are too talented to miss the postseason, let alone be under .500, but history is on their side. In recent years, the 2021 champion Atlanta Braves were under .500 in the All-Star break and didn't look like World Series contenders until they were. And last season, the Philadelphia Phillies struggled mightily to start the season, only to end up in the Fall classic. 

The moral of the story is the Padres have time to figure it out, and they will. Machado is the engine of the team, and they'll go as far as he leads them.