For the first six innings on Sunday, it felt like déjà vu at Petco Park. The San Diego Padres were trailing, and the bats were almost silent. The crowd was simply left waiting for the spark. The energy also felt low, and you can’t blame the fans for thinking, Here we go again. But then something shifted. The kind of shift that makes you want to sit up in your seat and watch closely.

It all started with Jackson Merrill cracking a double in the sixth inning to bring Luis Arraez home and cut the deficit to 4-2. Nothing wild, but enough to stir the crowd, and then came the seventh inning, where things started to get real. Elias Diaz stepped in and delivered a stellar game with an RBI single. Fernando Tatis Jr. also worked a walk. And just like that, the Padres had loaded the bases and got the game back in their hands. Caleb Ferguson for Philadelphia did step in, hoping to stop this bleeding, but Arraez didn’t let it stop and tied it up with a clean single. Then Manny Machado, the $350 million man, the face of the franchise, came up and did what any leader would do.

He didn’t swing for the fences; he just lifted a sacrifice fly deep enough to score a go-ahead run. It was not just flashy; it was pure baseball, and after the game, Machado summed up how he felt about it all. “I mean, just the way we won—I think it was just huge. No matter the victory, I think it was just the way we played baseball. It was the key, and we gotta continue doing that. It’s been a rough couple rough months, but this group grinded it out, and we keep continuing to grind.” 

That grind that he is talking about is no joke. Just earlier in the game, Gavin Sheets slammed his face and shoulder into the outfield wall, trying to make a catch. He had to lie down on the warning track before walking off with the trainers. The impact was so big that he left a dent in the wall!

Previously, when the Padres endured a 5-0 shutout loss, manager Mike Shildt was quick to point out that the quiet night at the plate wasn’t “representative” of what this offense is built to do. Yet, baseball is a game of streaks and slumps, and Shildt’s words after yesterday’s seventh-inning rally, “It’s what we are looking to do consistently,” highlight the razor-thin margin between a team that manufactures runs and one that simply can’t get a break. As he fairly put it, ‘Easier said than done.’

It’s tempting to think the Padres’ early-season knack for clutch hits and manufactured runs would last forever. For over six weeks, they seemed to find a way, whether it was Friday’s win on just three hits or that wild comeback against the Marlins, erasing a 6-0 deficit by scoring in each of the first five innings. Yesterday, even though they managed only eight hits and went 1-for-13 between the second and fifth innings, watching a slim lead turn into a 4-1 hole, it was still a 6-4 win and a comeback in their books. It’s also their third straight series victory. Sure, it was not easy, but it’s finally here.

In the midst of their offensive ups and downs, individual stories of resilience have made all the difference. One player, in particular, has embodied that spirit—both at the plate and in the field.

San Diego Padres can’t lose Gavin Sheets

Hopefully, Sheets is okay—seriously. After the way he slammed into left field, it’s hard for Padres fans not to hold their breath. The thing is, Sheets is not just filling in; he is thriving. And he is too important for the Padres’ offense to lose.

The 29-year-old DH-turned-left-fielder has adjusted beautifully in the Padres. With Jason Heyward sidelined, the Padres had asked him to take over left field. It was a risk because it was a position that he had hardly played in his career. However, despite his inexperience, he has been game. When Sheets was asked how he is feeling in his new role, he said, “Sheets said when asked how he’s feeling out there. The more I play out there, the more comfortable I get… It’s a new spot for me, so getting as many reps as possible and making it comfortable.”

Before joining the Padres, Sheets had logged just 75 innings with the Chicago White Sox over three seasons. It’s not much, and Sheets openly talked about his disappointment, too. But now he does look like a seasoned veteran. Sure, he is known more for his bat than his glove, but lately he has been flashing both. He is literally in the middle of his career year and matched his rookie total of 11 home runs, and his 34 RBIs lead a star-studded Padres roster. His .269/.325/.497 slash line and 127 OPS+ are all his career bests.

Now, as the Padres enter June, one of their most jam-packed months of the season, they are going to need Sheets more than ever. Fans can hope the wall on the left didn’t derail one of the brightest stories of the Padres’ season! What do you think about Sheets? Let us know.