Manny Machado homers twice, drives in 5 as Padres roll past Red Sox for 2nd straight day, 11-1

BOSTON (AP) — Manny Machado homered twice and drove in five runs, and Jackson Merrill and Brett Sullivan also went deep to carry the San Diego Padres to their second straight lopsided victory over the Boston Red Sox, 11-1 on Saturday.

It was the fifth straight win and ninth in 10 games for surging San Diego (46-41), which improved to a season-high five games over .500.

Jarren Duran hit a solo homer for the Red Sox, who lost their third straight.

Machado recorded his 40th career multihomer game, hitting a two-run drive completely out of Fenway Park in the third inning and a three-run shot to center during a six-run fifth.

When he rounded the bases after his second homer that made it 8-0, chants of “Manny! Manny!” echoed around Fenway from the many Padres fans.

“Yeah, I heard it coming in. A lot of Padres fans here,” he said, breaking into a smile. “It's kind of weird to see it in Boston. I played here quite a bit and it's kind of tough. ... It was great to see a lot of yellow out there and hearing myself and the (Ha-Seong) Kim chants and the Jackson chants.”

Boston starter Tanner Houck (7-6) was tagged for a career-worst eight runs, seven earned, in 4 1/3 innings on his 28th birthday. He also gave up a career-high three homers, raising his ERA from an AL-best 2.18 entering the day to 2.67.

“Just left too many pitches middle,” he said. “With all my pitches.”

For the second straight game, the Padres used a big fifth inning to take charge. Their six-run inning made it 10-0.

“The great ones have bad games, right," Boston manager Alex Cora said of Houck. “Today the slider wasn't great. They put some good at-bats. Manny got two sliders in the zone and put good swings on it. They're a good offensive club and did a good job against him.”

On Friday, they scored all their runs in the fifth of a 9-2 victory. The Padres secured just their second series win in nine tries against the Red Sox.

“We're just looking for continual improvement,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “When you get continual improvement, you get all areas firing together and you get guys working together, communicating together and really playing together.”

Michael King (6-5) rebounded from a rough start in his previous outing, giving up one run and five hits over six innings. He allowed five runs over six in his last start, taking the loss last Sunday against Milwaukee.

Merrill homered into the Monster seats to make it 4-0 in the fourth and Sullivan hit his first of the season, a two-run drive off Bailey Horn that hooked inside the Pesky Pole making it 10-0 in the fifth.

Boston first baseman Dominic Smith pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing only a single to Luis Arraez on a 31.9 mph pitch.

Wearing their City Connect bright-yellow and powder-blue uniforms didn’t help the Red Sox, who were 18-5 over the last two seasons wearing their alternate look.

It’s the first time the teams have met in a series in Fenway since 2013.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: Shildt said, “there’s an expectation, there’s a good chance,” that RHP Randy Vásquez won’t miss his next start. Vásquez started Friday’s victory but had to leave after Ceddanne Rafaela’s comebacker hit him on his pitching arm. “Nothing fractural, nothing serious there. Some swelling, some soreness,” Shildt said. “Outside of maybe missing a little sleep because he sleeps on that right side, he said he feels OK.”

Red Sox: Cora said 1B Triston Casas (left rib ) was just feeling “general soreness” after taking 30 swings a day earlier.

UP NEXT

RHP Matt Waldron (5-6, 3.43 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Padres in Sunday’s finale of the three-game series. RHP Josh Winckowski (1-1, 3.26) is slated to make a spot start for the Red Sox.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, right, celebrates with Jackson Merrill (3) after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox's Jarren Duran celebrates his solo home run with Tyler O'Neill (17) during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck walks off the field after being relieved in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck walks off the mound after giving up a three-run home run to San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, right, during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado watches his two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

San Diego Padres' Brett Sullivan, center, celebrates his two-run home run that also drove in Ha-Seong Kim (7), behind Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong, during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado (13) celebrates his three-run home run with Jackson Merrill during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday insisted that President Joe Biden can still win her state, a key battleground in the 2024 election, even as many national Democrats question whether Biden should move forward after his shaky debate performance.

Whitmer's statement comes as many in her party question whether she could step in for Biden and run against Republican Donald Trump this fall. Whitmer and several other top national Democrats have publicly backed Biden since Thursday's debate.

“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump," she said in her statement. “Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts: he’s lowered health care costs, brought back manufacturing jobs, and is committed to restoring the reproductive freedom women lost under Donald Trump.”

The statement comes after Politico Magazine reported on Monday that Whitmer called Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon on Friday. It cites “someone close to a potential 2028 Whitmer rival for the Democratic presidential nomination” who said Michigan's governor “had phoned O’Malley Dillon with more of an unambiguous SOS: to relay that Michigan, in the wake of the debate, was no longer winnable for Biden.”

An aide to Whitmer, Helen Hare, said that the reported comment was false.

This story has been corrected to show that Jen O'Malley Dillon is chair of Biden's reelection campaign, not the campaign manager.

FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Whitmer denied a report that she had called President Joe Biden's campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon to say that Michigan was no longer winnable for the president. Whitmer in a statement Monday, July 1, insisted that Biden could still win the state in the wake of a debate performance by Biden that has left some Democrats concerned about his campaign. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)