When a team is struggling it looks to its leaders to set things right. On Friday night the Padres captain lived up to his responsibility.

Manny Machado launched a 9th inning missile into the left field seats at Truist Park in Atlanta to give the Padres a 2-1 win over the Braves, snapping San Diego's six-game losing streak and giving them a seventh straight win over Atlanta (dating back to the 2024 playoffs).

Leading up to Manny's moment of catharsis, the game had more than a few twists and turns. The Braves welcomed back outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., the 2023 National League MVP, who played his first big league game since tearing his ACL 362 days ago.

Big time players understand big time moments. Acuna hit the first pitch he saw from Nick Pivetta into the left field seats for a leadoff h

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