Hot Padres Beat Up on Boston Again, This Time 11-1, to Win 5th Straight

The Padres, struggling to keep themselves above .500 all year, suddenly are hot, and Boston felt the burn Saturday, falling to them again in lopsided fashion.

It was the Friars’ second straight rout of the Red Sox – this time they prevailed 11-1 – and their fifth win in a row.

In their latest victory they settled for a six-run fifth inning – ho-hum, following their nine-run explosion in the fifth on Friday – with the big blow coming from Manny Machado.

The Padres were up 4-0 entering the fifth, in part thanks to Machado’s two-run blast in the second. With Luis Arraez and Jurickson Profar on base, Jake Cronenworth singled to right to drive in Arraez. With nobody out, Machado drove the ball to center for his second homer of the day and an 8-0 Padre lead.

Before the inning was over, catcher Brett Sullivan had sent another ball out of the park for the Friars. His first home run of the year put them up 10-0.

Machado, putting his slow start behind him, finished the day with five RBIs, having bagged his ninth and 10th homers on the year. His batting average also is on the rise – it’s up to .268.

But he’s far from the only Padre clicking. The Friars are 9-1 in their last 10 games, and they’ve scored five runs or more in each of the wins. They also sit in second in the National League wild-card race, behind the Braves and ahead of the Cardinals. The teams chasing them, including the Mets, Diamondbacks and Giants, are all at .500 or below.

“Last week or so, we’ve turned it up a notch,” Machado told MLB.com.

Meanwhile, starter Joe Musgrove has been shifted to the 60-day injured list as he continues to recover from elbow inflammation and right-triceps issues. And reliever Daniel Cosgrove, battling his own inflammation issues, has been placed on the 15-day IL. The team called up lefty Austin Davis from El Paso to take his spot.

The Padres, with a chance to sweep, send Matt Waldron to the mound Sunday. After an off- day, they begin a series against the defending World Series champs, the Rangers, on Tuesday in Texas.