TORONTO (AP) — Yu Darvish and three relievers combined on a six-hitter, Manny Machado drove in the only runs of the game with a two-run single and the San Diego Padres beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 Wednesday night.
Machado came in with an NL-best 19 RBI in 13 games in July and added to that total with a two-out single off Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos in the fifth inning.
“Manny’s on fire right now,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “And not only that, big hits, too. All it took was one today.”
Machado has reached safely in a season-high 12 consecutive games. He’s hitting .327 (18 for 55) in July. His nine home runs and 21 RBI this month are the most in the majors.
“He has the ability to carry a team and here recently he’s been doing that,” Melvin said.
Darvish (7-6) pitched six innings to win back-to-back starts. The right-hander allowed four hits, walked three and struck out seven.
San Diego has won eight of 12.
“Our staff is starting to get together, our team is starting to get together,” Machado said. “Good things are going to be coming.”
Toronto loaded the bases with two outs in the first but Whit Merrifield lined out to second base.
“Darvish had a really good mix of a slow curveball, heater, cutter, sweeper,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Dudes like that, you’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity.”
The Blue Jays, who lost 9-1 in Tuesday’s series opener, went without an extra-base hit for the second straight game, disappointing a season-high crowd of 42,948.
Toronto scored in the first inning Tuesday but has gone 17 innings since without a run.
Juan Soto walked three times as the Padres won their second straight after losing the previous three. San Diego won a road series for the first time since taking two of three at Colorado June 9-11.
Steven Wilson worked the seventh, Nick Martinez pitched around a pair of singles in the eighth and Josh Hader finished for his 23rd save in 27 chances.
The shutout was San Diego’s ninth. Toronto was blanked for the fifth time.
Trent Grisham got San Diego’s rally started with a one-out walk and Ha-Seong Kim was hit by a pitch. Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out before a double steal put runners at second and third. Toronto intentionally walked Soto to load the bases for Machado, who delivered a broken-bat hit to center.
Machado had flied out to the warning track in his previous at bat.
“We get lucky every once in a while,” Machado said. “Hit the ball hard and you get out, then you hit a bloop like that and you get two RBI to get the game going. That’s just how baseball is.”
Berríos (8-7) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings. He walked four and struck out nine. The right-hander is winless in four starts.
Toronto lost for just the fifth time in Berríos’ past 27 home starts, dating to 2021.
