Key keywords: Manny Machado, two-run homer 2024, San Diego Padres 3rd home run, MLB regular season, National League West rivalry, Los Angeles Dodgers, late-inning go-ahead hit, 112 mph exit velocity, Petco Park, MLB highlight reel The San Diego Padres secured a dramatic 3-2 win over division rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on Tuesday night, fueled by Manny Machado’s clutch two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning, marking the 4-time All-Star’s 3rd home run of the 2024 MLB regular season. Trailing 2-1 with one out and Xander Bogaerts on first base, Machado stepped to the plate against Dodgers All-Star reliever Evan Phillips, who had posted a 1.29 ERA through his first 14 appearances of the year. After working the count to 2-2, Phillips threw a 95 mph four-seam fastball on the inner half of the plate, which Machado crushed 427 feet into the left field upper deck, with an exit velocity of 112.3 mph, the second-hardest hit ball of his 2024 campaign. The blast flipped the score to 3-2 in the Padres’ favor, and closer Robert Suarez shut down the Dodgers in the 9th to seal the victory. Coming into the contest, Machado had gotten off to a slower start than his usual standards, posting a .238 batting average and .762 OPS through his first 17 games, but he had begun to find his rhythm in the week prior, notching 7 hits in his last 18 at-bats ahead of the rivalry series. Following the game, Padres manager Mike Shildt praised his star third baseman, noting that Machado’s track record of clutch performances against divisional opponents made him the exact player the team wanted at the plate in that high-stakes spot. “Manny lives for these moments,” Shildt told reporters postgame. “He’s put in extra work in the batting cage over the last 10 days to tweak his swing, and it all paid off on that at-bat. There’s no one we trust more to come through when the game is on the line.” For the Padres, the win cuts the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to 4.5 games, after Los Angeles jumped out to a historic 17-4 start to the season. Machado, who signed an 11-year, $350 million contract extension with the Padres ahead of the 2023 season, now has 27 career home runs against the Dodgers, the most of any active position player against the franchise. In his postgame interview, Machado downplayed his individual performance, shifting credit to his team’s overall fight throughout the contest. “Our pitching staff kept us in the game all night, and that gave us a chance to come back late,” he said. “Xander got on base with a great at-bat ahead of me, and I just got a pitch I could handle and didn’t miss it. Rivalry games against the Dodgers are always special, and getting a win in front of our home fans means a lot. We’re building something special here, and this is the kind of win that can carry us through the rest of the season.”