Down to their final out yesterday in Milwaukee, the San Diego Padres did what they have been doing a lot lately: they flipped the script late. Gavin Sheets belted a two-out, three-run homer in the ninth to turn a 1-0 hole into a 3-1 win, another last-gasp punch that fits neatly into this team’s growing reputation for late drama.
According to MLB.com, Sheets drilled a two-out pitch from Abner Uribe in the ninth, driving in Xander Bogaerts and Bryce Johnson to give San Diego the lead. Jason Adam earned the win, the rally snapped Milwaukee's five-game skid, and the victory moved the Padres to 25-17, per StatMuse.
Until that swing, Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski had the Padres mostly guessing. He struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings and kept pumping triple-digit heaters; Statcast clocked him at 103.2 mph in the outing. Baseball Savant tracks the velocity and advanced metrics, while the Kansas City Star has noted he has thrown roughly 40 pitches at 100 mph or better across recent outings.
Sheets' late-inning résumé
Sheets has been the guy you do not want to see in a close game this season. MLB.com notes he has already launched three go-ahead, three-run homers in the ninth inning or later this year, the most such late winners by a Padre since B.J. Upton in 2016. That run of clutch swings has tilted more than a few tight contests in San Diego’s favor.
Bullpen getting steadier
These late heroics are landing differently now that the relief corps is not leaking runs at the same rate. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Padres relievers were tagged for 27 runs over 30.2 innings during a rough stretch, but have since tightened up, allowing just six runs in roughly 40 1/3 innings across the past 12 games. That run excludes one particularly poor outing from Matt Waldron in the paper's tally.
What the clubhouse says
Inside the room, players have leaned into the idea that nothing is settled until the final out. "At the end of the day we compete to 27 outs," Miguel Andújar told The San Diego Union-Tribune. Sheets echoed the same mindset, saying, "You can't win a game in the first six innings." For a club that keeps cashing in late, those are not just talking points; they are the operating manual.
Quick hits and what to watch
The Padres have ridden a mix of late offense and steadier bullpen work to climb the standings, and whether this becomes a lasting identity will hinge on those same pillars. Keep an eye on Sheets for more late-inning chances and on the relievers for continued consistency; if both trends hold, San Diego's tight ones may keep breaking their way.
