The off-day on Thursday would have allowed the Padres to give Manny Machado and his ailing finger two days off.

But Machado started at third base on Wednesday and is again in the lineup on Friday at third base to start a three-game series at the Tampa Bay Rays.

First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. on Padres.TV.

The 34-year-old Machado leads the NL with 19 groundball double plays, four shy of the Rays’ Junior Caminero for the most in the majors. Eight of those have come in August as he’s hitting .211/.317/.256 and has just two extra-base hits this month (.573 OPS).

He was worse in May (.525 OPS) before improving in June (.778 OPS) and turning in his best month in July (.922 OPS).

For the season, Machado is hitting .214/.301/.402 for a .704 OPS that is more than 100 points below his career OPS (.816).

Machado hasn’t been out of the starting line since July 8 despite a finger bruise on his right index finger noticeably causing discomfort on some balls off the end of the bat on the previous homestand. He has remained in every game.

With a left-hander on the mound, Luis Rengifo (.647 OPS) will bat second and play left field, shortstop Xander Bogaerts (.640 OPS) will bump up to sixth in the order, Austin Hays (.614 OPS) will serve as the DH and second baseman Jake Cronenworth (.619 OPS) will bat ninth.

Freddy Fermin (.595 OPS) will serve as the catcher and bat eighth.

With the Diamondbacks (71-64) losing on Thursday, the Padres (72-62) have a 1½-game cushion in the race for the NL’s third wild-card spot.

Here is how the Rays — who have the major’s third-best record (79-54) — will line up to start the series:

 

Friday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Casey Mize (5-7, 3.44 ERA)

He’s making his start on turn despite leaving his last start after 2⅔ innings with a right ankle sprain. He has a 7.00 ERA in four starts with the Padres, but has two quality starts between a poor debut (3⅓ IP, 8 ER) and last week’s injury-shortened start (2⅔ IP, 4 ER). Mize has a 4.50 ERA in four games (12 IP) against the Rays, the last start coming in 2025 (5 IP, 1 ER).

Here is how Mize has fared against current Rays:

Rays LHP Shane McLanahan (9-6, 3.10 ERA)

His strikeout rate (8.3 per nine innings) is a career low in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. McLanahan missed roughly two weeks this month with a back injury, but he threw five shutout innings last week in his second start off the injured list. His only start against the Padres was a win in 2023 (6⅔ IP, 1 ER).

Here is how McLanahan has fared against current Padres: