Padres pregame: Manny Machado streaking into Milwaukee

Manny Machado continues to progress toward returning to the field by the end of the month.

His bat is heating up … now.

Relegated to DH duty to start the season, Machado is riding a team-best eight-game hitting streak into Monday’s game in Milwaukee, the first of a three-game set.

First pitch is at 4:40 p.m.

Machado is hitting .333/.371/.546 during his hitting streak. He has two homers in that stretch, both in Los Angeles.

The effort has lifted his season line to .254/.329/.465, a massive improvement over the start he got off to last April (.236/.280/.391).

Machado remains locked in the clean-up spot in a top-six that’s been the same since Padres manager Mike Shildt swapped Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim in the fifth/sixth spots.

On Monday, Shildt bumped center fielder Jackson Merrill into the seventh spot, which like has as much do with his strong start to the season (.845 OPS) as Luis Campusano (.644 OPS) in a 3-for-27 rut.

Tyler Wade will play third base and bat ninth behind Campusano in the eight-hole.

Here is the Brewers lineup:

Monday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (1-2, 6.87 ERA)

He walked three batters in his last start (4 IP, 4 ER) and has just one quality start in three trips to the mound. Musgrove’s strikeout rate is down from 24.3 percent in 2023 to 19.8 percent, the lowest of his career. He has a 4.04 ERA in 49 career innings against the Brewers, including throwing eight shutout innings of one-hit ball in a win in 2022. Musgrove did not face the Brewers last year.

Here is how Musgrove has fared against current Brewers:

• OF Christian Yelich (5-for-21, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBIs, 7 Ks)
• 1B Rhys Hoskins (0-for-8, BB, 3 Ks)
• SS Willy Adames (0-for-2, K)
• C William Contreras (0-for-2)
• C Gary Sanchez (0-for-2, 2 Ks)

Brewers RHP Joe Ross (1-0, 1.80 ERA)

The former Padres product is in the majors for the first time since 2021 with the Nationals. He has struck out 10 against six walks through his first 10 innings. Ross has a 4.21 ERA in 453 ⅓ innings over parts of seven years in the majors. Ross was sent with Trea Turner in the three-team deal that brough Wil Myers to the Padres before the start of the 2015 season.

Only two Padres have history with Ross, the younger brother of former Padres All-Star Tyson Ross: Machado (0-for-2) and RF Fernando Tatis Jr. (2-for-2)