Machado 'not frustrated' by Padres' offensive struggles
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado remains confident in the club's ability to score runs despite a slow start in 2023.
"I'm not frustrated," Machado said following Monday's 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell.
"Sometimes things go well," Machado added. "Sometimes things don't go as well as we planned, like it is now. But we just keep with the process. Keep doing what we've got to do every single day, and things will turn around."
The Padres are 8-10 to start the season and rank 22nd in the league in runs scored (71) and 21st in OPS (.705). Machado has one home run and a .600 OPS across 71 at-bats in the first season of an 11-year, $350-million contract extension.
Machado also had a message for anyone doubting the Padres after just 18 games.
"Honestly, for me, it's just: Don't jump on the bandwagon later on when we start (expletive) raking and we're doing what we're supposed to be doing," he said.
San Diego's slumping offense is set to get a boost with Fernando Tatis Jr. eligible to return to the lineup from an 80-game suspension Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tatis raked with Triple-A El Paso, hitting .515 with seven home runs in eight games.