Before Game 3 of the NLDS, Manny Machado walked up to the microphone and answered David Ortiz directly. No theatrics, no long speech — just a clean counter-argument backed by what this team actually did in July.
Ortiz had gone on FOX Sports after San Diego’s 4-3 Game 2 loss and, sitting alongside Derek Jeter and Alex Rodríguez, delivered his verdict: «It’s over. I’m sorry» — aimed specifically at Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado. The clip spread instantly, and it was waiting for Machado at Monday’s press conference.
His response: «Those aren’t the first comments that we’ve heard about us this year. It’s been all year from everyone. Here we are once again with our backs against the wall. We overcame it once, and we’re going to do it again.»
No names called. No extra heat. Just the argument.
The Argument Has Receipts
In July, the Padres were three games under .500 and sitting 11th in the National League. What followed was a 41-18 run over their final 59 games, finishing the regular season 91-71 and punching a Wild Card ticket. They then swept the Cubs in two games before running into Milwaukee — the NL’s best team at 103-59 — in the NLDS.
Down 0-2 in the series, they head home to Petco Park tonight for Game 3. They’ve been counted out before. They know what that feels like.
How Game 2 Slipped Away: Mason Miller and the Ninth
To understand why Ortiz’s verdict landed so hard, you have to look at what happened in the ninth inning of Game 2. Mason Miller — who closed the regular season with a 1.67 ERA and 38 saves, leading the National League in that category — came out of the bullpen with San Diego ahead 3-2.
The eighth inning was clean: 12 pitches, no trouble. The ninth was a different story. Miller threw just 21 of 40 pitches for strikes across his two combined innings, issued three walks, and ultimately gave up a two-run single to Jackson Chourio with two outs to hand Milwaukee a 4-3 win.
That Chourio hit was his eighth RBI in go-ahead or tie situations in the postseason, breaking the Milwaukee franchise record previously held by Ryan Braun (seven).
On Monday, manager Craig Stammen publicly dismissed the pitch-tipping theory that had been circulating online, pointing instead to a command issue. He also floated the possibility of limiting Miller to one inning at a time for the rest of the postseason — not as punishment, but as a practical adjustment based on what they saw.
Why Machado’s Words Matter Tonight
At 34, Machado carries a career line of 398 home runs and 1,231 RBI. His 2026 numbers are a mixed picture — .217 AVG and a .710 OPS aren’t what you’d draw up for a cleanup hitter — but Statcast tells a more nuanced story. His average exit velocity sits at 90.1 mph (67th percentile in MLB) and his bat speed of 74.7 mph ranks in the 80th percentile league-wide. The contact quality is there; it just hasn’t always converted into results.
What Machado did at that podium wasn’t empty rhetoric. It was about setting the frame for his own clubhouse heading into a must-win game at home. The Padres’ captain told Ortiz, Jeter, A-Rod, and anyone else listening that they already know exactly how this feeling works — and that they’ve gotten out of it before.
Machado’s 2026 Numbers at a Glance
- Plate appearances: 677
- Home runs: 30 | RBI: 91
- AVG: .217 | OPS: .710
- xwOBA: .328 (expected production based on contact quality)
- Average exit velocity: 90.1 mph
- Barrel rate: 9.7%
- Hard-hit rate: 43.6% (balls hit 95+ mph)
- Bat speed: 74.7 mph — 80th percentile in MLB
- Sprint speed: 8th percentile (among the slowest in the league)
Game 3 is tonight at Petco Park. Win or go home. Machado already told you which one he’s picking.
