Before the 2025 season the Padres signed Gavin Sheets to a one year, $1.5 million deal. Even if he doesn’t play another game all season, that contract will have been a bargain.
Sheets has become the big bopper San Diego needed in the middle of their lineup and put up another stellar performance on Saturday in Cincinnati, ripping two doubles and a go-ahead three run homer in a 6-4 Padres win to even their weekend series in Ohio.
San Diego starter Randy Vasquez wasn’t terribly sharp on the mound. He allowed four runs on nine hits and didn’t make it out of the 5th inning. But, the bullpen was fantastic again. Bryan Hoeing, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, and Robert Suarez combined to toss the remaining 4.1 innings allowing three total baserunners. Their work allowed the Friars to start chipping away.
The first run came in a way we don’t see very often. Luis Arraez hit a solo home run off Reds starter Andrew Abbott, just the 4th dinger of the year for Arraez. Jake Cronenworth followed with a 2-run shot in the 6th inning against former Padres reliever Scott Barlow that cut the lead to 4-3. In the 7th inning Lyon Richardson gave up a leadoff double to Jackson Merrill and walked Xander Bogaerts, putting two runners on for Sheets.
All year long the Padres have had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position. On Saturday they went just 1-for-8 in that situation. Thank goodness that one came from Sheets.
The strapping lefty launched a monster three-run shot 422 feet into the right field seats to give the Friars a lead they would not relinquish. In 79 games with the Padres, Sheets has 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in. His career highs for a single season are 15 dingers and 53 RBI, both coming in the 2022 season when he played 124 games for the White Sox. It’s safe to say he’s having one of the most pleasantly surprising seasons in all of Major League Baseball.
The Padres can take the series on Sunday afternoon with Stephen Kolek on the mound against Cincinnati lefty Nick Lodolo.