Padres Manager Describes Big Win As A ‘Brain Buster’

The San Diego Padres packed a week’s worth of hard-ball drama into a single game last night, as their 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in 11 innings gave them a series sweep as well as sole possession of the second wild card spot. 

It wasn’t easy to get there, though. This was a four-hour contest that had more cliffhanger moments than a page-turning thriller, with Luis Campusano pushing the Padres over the top with an RBI single in the 11th inning that capped a series of non-stop San Diego comebacks. 

“Great baseball game,” said manager Craig Stammen in a followup piece from AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “Exhausting. From my perspective, a little brain buster. But those are the games you live for.”

Campusano’s big hit overshadowed a couple of other comebacks, starting in the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. raced home from second to tie the game on an unlikely infield hit from Jake Cronenworth, who beat reliever Alan Ashby to the bag at first on an ordinary bouncer when Ashby was slow to cover. 

“Perfect guy to have on second there,” said Cronenworth, who picked up the RBI.

“Just being aggressive,” Tatis said. “Obviously, that was going to be a close play at first. … I saw the play was going to unfold at first base, and I just went for it.”

Cassavell also noted Stammen’s aggressive managing in this game, as he rode starter Robbie Ray through a two-run, four-inning performance in which Ray threw 84 pitches. Stammen also rode reliever Adrian Morejon hard for two innings in extras, as Morejon was close to running on fumes when he struck out the side in the 11th to give Campusano a chance to play hero. 

“The way the bullpen pitched was pretty amazing,” Stammen said. “We’ve been talking about how good they’ve been all year. But we’ve been using them a lot. So it’s not like they’re the freshest guys in the world right now. But they’re digging deep and making a ton of great pitches.”

The Padres probably should have won the game earlier in the 11th on a drive to right from Jackson Merrill that became a sacrifice fly to tie the game when right-fielder Luis Lara leapt and made an astounding highlight-reel catch. Campusano came through, though, and he's quietly given the Padres an offensive boost since returning from the IL, and his glove work and throwing have both improved as well. 

“His confidence has grown throughout the season,” Stammen said. “... Him being able to throw that guy out at third in extra innings was huge. And then the walk-off hit. He kind of showed his complete game today.”