Manny Machado, Padres pursue series victory over A's

The San Diego Padres' best guess that star third baseman Manny Machado would avoid an injured list stint proved to be correct. After missing four starts due to a strained hip flexor sustained Wednesday, Machado returned Monday as the designated hitter, collecting two hits in San Diego's 6-1 win over the visiting Oakland Athletics. It's expected that Machado will return to his normal position on Tuesday night when the Padres try to clinch the three-game series. Machado got hurt running out a grounder on Wednesday, and he subsequently appeared only once (as a pinch hitter on Thursday) before starting Monday.