Manny Machado is hitting an awful .169 this season. Yet, when the San Diego Padres’ offense completely disappeared during an ugly four-game losing streak, angry fans immediately pointed their fingers at the coaching staff. After Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Phillies, Machado decided to take a stand.

Instead of letting manager Craig Stammen and hitting coach Steven Sousa Jr. take all the heat, Machado threw himself and the rest of the players under the bus.

“Those coaches don’t grab a bat,” defended Machado, per Marty Caswell of Foul Territory. “It’s us grabbing a baseball bat and grabbing our gear, and facing Cristopher Sanchez today. It’s on us to go out there and perform.”

The Phillies shut out the Padres for a second time in the series with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound. The lefty threw seven scoreless innings, allowing 6 hits but striking out 9. The Padres put runners in scoring positions four times against Sanchez, but failed to cash in. Machado himself almost homered twice but came up short as the baseball landed in the warning track. Against the Phillies, Machado recorded a disappointing 1-for-11, driving in 2 RBIs and a walk.

The Padres are in an offensive slump, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Padres are currently tied for second place in the NL West with a 31-24 record. But this recent four-game losing streak has dropped them 4.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

In their last six games, they are hitting a mere .190, having scored only 14 runs. Built around star power, the Padres’ lineup has not been able to make an impact on the plate in the last few games. Fernando Tatis Jr is is making solid contact lately, but has not hit a single home run yet this season. They are an awful 0-for-33 with runners in scoring position in the last five games.

During the three-game set against the Phillies, the Padres have gone an abysmal 2-for-46 with runners in scoring position. The Friars’ pitching staff has been cushioning a failing lineup for the last couple of games. But the pitchers cannot protect a lineup that does not score a single run. It finally happened during the Phillies series, making the lineup’s shortcomings glaring.

With the Padres’ current weak link exposed, manager Stammen and hitting coach Sosa Jr. are facing heavy criticism from the fans and being held responsible for the loss. Machado is out in front protecting his coaches. However, this is not the first time he has done that.

Back in 2023, the Padres went through a very similar struggle with runners in scoring position. Despite having a massive payroll back then, too, the team constantly fell short. During that time, Machado frequently took the blame to protect former manager Bob Melvin.

Now, he is doing the same thing.

“They are giving us the information, and we are going out there, and we’re just executing. We’re just not getting those results as we like. The game is like that sometimes. But you have got to stick to the process,” Machado stated via Caswell.

Machado’s statement is significant because he is a major part of the underperforming lineup. Though his power hitting has not been completely missing, having driven 9 homers and 27 RBIs this season, Machado’s batting average has plummeted.

In 53 games, his .169 batting average and his high strikeout rate are seriously hurting the team.

With the Padres figuring out how to break the slump, Craig Stammen has come forward to take the blame after the series sweep.

Craig Stammen takes responsibility for the Padres being swept

The Philadelphia Phillies held the Padres’ lineup to three runs only. They spoiled their scoring chances as the Padres left 19 runners on base in the three-game set. Manny Machado’s two-run shot and Laureano’s solo homer accounted for the 3 runs they scored during the series. After the humiliating loss, manager Craig Stammen has taken responsibility. He has also defended the team’s hitting coach while doing so.

“In my opinion, it has nothing to do with him (Steven Sousa Jr.),” Stammen reportedly stated. “This is the Padres hitting. This is the Padres organization. How we go about taking at-bats, it’s on all of us, and more specifically on me.”

During their losing streak, the Padres have scored only 5 runs. They are currently the MLB-worst in terms of batting average (.218) and on-base percentage (.219).

Earlier in the series, Stammen, too, has expressed his frustration with the offensive slump.

“We’re not as good as we expected right now… they know it, we know it, the whole world knows it… Eventually, we’re going to break through,” the manager had reportedly remarked.

The Padres have a day to regroup before they face the Washington Nationals on Saturday.