It will be known as the Gavin Sheets Game of 2026. The left-handed slugger clubbed two homeruns off Seattle Mariners starter George Kirby and added an RBI-double for good measure to lead the San Diego Padres to a 8-3 win and a three-game sweep at T-Mobile Park on Sunday. Sheets came into the game as the hottest bat in the San Diego lineup. Padres manager Craig Stammen has been looking for some offensive consistency and as a result of his recent play, Sheets was penciled into the third spot in the lineup. He
rewarded his manager with a day the Friar Faithful have not seen from one of their hitters in quite some time.
Sheets gave San Diego a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when he jumped all over a first-pitch fastball from Kirby and deposited it deep into the right-field bleachers. It was the first homerun allowed by Kirby all season. Sheets returned to the plate in the top of the top of the fourth inning and drew a five-pitch walk. Kirby did not throw him a fastball in that at-bat, electing to throw a sweeper, two changeups and two cutters. Sheets faced Kirby for the third time in the game in the top of the sixth inning and likely knew he would not see a fastball and made the adjustment. Sheets hit a 1-1 changeup that was left up over the middle of the plate 404 feet into the right field bleachers for a two-run home run that gave the Padres a 4-0 lead.
In his fourth plate appearance of the game, Sheets faced Mariners reliever Alex Hoppe and ripped an RBI-double down the right-field line that scored Fernando Tatis Jr., who singled to start the inning, and gave San Diego an 8-3 lead. Sheets had one final trip to the plate in the top of the ninth inning and drew a five-pitch walk, his second of the game, off Seattle reliever Domingo Gonzalez and finished his day with a final line of 3-for-3 with two walks, two home runs, a double, four RBI and two runs scored.
The incredible offensive day from Sheets overshadowed a nice day at the plate by Ty France who finished his day 3-for-4 with three RBI. Stammen’s shuffled lineup moved Tatis Jr. back into the leadoff spot for the first time since early April, dropped Manny Machado to fourth and Jackson Merrill to sixth. It worked – kind of. Tatis Jr. finished 1-for-5 with a single and a strikeout. Machado finished 1-for-5 with a double, a run scored and a strikeout. He also made a bid for a second extra-base hit, but Randy Arozarena made a nice catch in left field to take it away. Merrill finished 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. The hits for Tatis Jr. Machado and Merrill were their first hits of the three-game series in Seattle as all three continue to struggle offensively.
With all the offensive fireworks the first start for Lucas Giolito as a member of the Padres took a back seat. However, it should not be completely overlooked. Giolito threw five-plus innings and allowed three runs on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts. He was cruising through five innings but hit a wall in the bottom of the sixth, which should not have been a surprise to anyone since it was his first start of the season. Giolito walked the first three batters of the sixth and was lifted in favor of Yuki Matsui. The left-handed reliever walked the first batter he faced to push home a Seattle run, then allowed back-to-back sacrifice flyballs to make the score 7-3 before getting a strikeout to end the inning. Matsui pitched a scoreless seventh inning and Bradgley Rodriguez completed the final two innings and recorded three strikeouts.
The Padres return home today to face the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season at 6:40 p.m.
Padres News:
- After his brief callup from Triple-A El Paso, Alek Jacob was optioned back to the minors to make room for Lucas Giolito on the San Diego roster.
- Jase Bowen is making headlines again for his play in the minors and Jhonny Brito continues to work back into shape with an appearance for the San Antonio Missions.
Baseball News:
- The New York Mets used a late comeback to take the game and the series from the New York Yankees. On a positive note for the Yankees, they are expected to get starter Gerrit Cole back soon.
- Zack Wheeler had a strong outing and helped the Philadelphia Phillies beat Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Roki Sasaki pitches seven innings and leads Dodgers to 10-1 win and sweep of Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers also made a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire Eric Lauer for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
- Chicago White Sox get walk-off win over Chicago Cubs to take series.
- Cleveland Guardians use longball to beat Cincinnati Reds.
