The Padres won a game on Wednesday afternoon that traversed from frustrating to joyous to maddening to elating, with a healthy dose of relieved satisfaction.
There was a lot crammed into what ended up being a 4-3 Padres victory over the Brewers in 11 innings.
“Exhausting,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said.
The feeling was rampant throughout the clubhouse as the Padres packed up and prepared to leave for a six-game road trip after Luis Campusano’s walk-off single capped a three-game sweep of the team that had arrived in town with the best record in the major leagues.
To get there, the Padres relied on their bullpen to cover the final seven innings while allowing just one run near the end. They hustled up a game-tying run in the eighth inning and came back again with two runs in the 11th.
After the Brewers scored against Adrian Morejón in the top of the 11th, the Padres began the final half-inning with Manny Machado moving automatic runner Jake Cronenworth to third with a groundout up the middle.
Brewers pitcher Antonio Senzatela then hit Ty France with a pitch.
Cronenworth scored on Jackson Merrill’s drive to right field that Brewers right fielder Luis Lara caught over his shoulder on a full sprint at the warning track.
Before Campusano went to the plate, Sung-Mun Song replaced France at first. And on the second pitch to Campusano, Song stole second base.
Three pitches later, Campusano lined a 1-2 sinker into right field. Song sprinted home and dove headfirst across the plate in front of the tag by catcher Gary Sánchez.
“We keep fighting till the last out,” Campusano said. “That’s us. That’s who we are, and that’s who we’re going to continue to be. … That’s how winning baseball is.”
San Diego, CA – San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano, No. 12, gets doused in Gatorade by teammate Ty, France, No. 25, as he celebrates after hitting a walk off single during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at Petco Park in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It was the Padres’ ninth walkoff victory, two fewer than the MLB-leading Cubs. It was their 26th victory decided in the seventh inning or later.
“We’re never out of the game, and we’re competing,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “We’re pushing for that playoff run.”
The Padres’ 16th victory in 19 games propelled them into the second of three National League wild-card spots alone. They’re now one game ahead of the Diamondbacks and Phillies, who have both lost the past two days.
More than anything, given that 40 games remain, the Padres (65-57) were ecstatic to have finished a stretch of 26 games in the past 27 days.
“It’s much needed,” Tatis said of the day off Thursday before beginning a series against the Guardians. “But at the same time, we’re hot. We want to keep playing baseball. But it’s going to be well received, and then we’ve got more business to take care of in Cleveland.”
The Padres finished a run of 16 games without a day off by going 5-1 on the just-completed homestand against the Astros, who arrived in San Diego having won 12 of 15 games; and the Brewers, who are now 74-47.
“Mental toughness,” Tatis said. “There’s no special sauce or secret. Just you gotta be ready to perform. Even though your body’s not going to be in the best spot, you feel tired, but at the end of the day, it’s mental toughness.”
San Diego, CA – San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, No. 13, makes a play during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at Petco Park in San Diego, CA. The runner was safe at first. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It took all of that on Wednesday.
Padres starter Robbie Ray allowed two runs in his four innings, leaving after having thrown 84 pitches.
Brewers starter Dustin May allowed only Xander Bogaerts’ solo homer in the third inning and pitched into the eighth, leaving after walking Gavin Sheets to start that inning.
That would be the fourth time the Padres got their first batter in an inning aboard against May and also hit into a double play.
Unlike the first three times, they would score in the eighth.
It was reliever Chad Patrick who got Bogaerts to hit a grounder to third base to start that fourth twin-killing before the Padres showed they had more life.
Tatis was called on to pinch-hit for catcher Freddy Fermin, and Patrick essentially pitched around him on a four-pitch walk before Tatis stole second base and Luis Rengifo battled his way to a nine-pitch walk.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy walked to the mound and replaced Patrick with left-hander Aaron Ashby.
San Diego, CA – San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., No 23, celebrates with first baseman Ty France, No. 25, after scoring the tying run during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at Petco Park in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Stammen stuck with the left-handed-hitting Cronenworth, who chopped the ninth pitch he saw slowly toward the right side and put his head down on an all-out sprint down the line. Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers fielded the ball while Ashby and Cronenworth converged on first base, with Cronenworth’s 4.24-second dash just fast enough to get his foot down on the bag before Ashby’s landed there.
Bauers later said he should have thrown home to prevent Tatis from advancing instead of trying to get Cronenworth.
He didn’t. And as Ashby ran past first with the ball in his glove and his back to the plate, Tatis took off from third and scored without a throw.
“Just being aggressive,” Tatis said. “Obviously, that was going to be a close play at first. I know … the first baseman is straight looking at me and (has a) straight throw home, but I saw the play was going to unfold at first base, and I just went for it.”
That rewarded Stammen’s choice to chase the victory by getting Ray out and setting his bullpen on a long course.
Bradgley Rodriguez had replaced Ray and worked two innings. Jeremiah Estrada, Kyle Hart and Mason Miller followed with a scoreless inning apiece.
With help from Campusano throwing out Brice Turang trying to steal third, Morejón worked a scoreless 10th.
Brewers closer Trevor Megill got through a second scoreless inning by holding down the Padres in the 10th, and a leadoff double by Sánchez scored automatic runner Jihwan Bae. Morejón walked Garrett Mitchell before striking out two batters and, after issuing an intentional walk to Jackson Chourio, struck out Turang.
Murphy explained after the game that he went with Senzatela because high-leverage righty Abner Uribe was unavailable after throwing 55 pitches in two games over the weekend.
That was a break for the Padres.
But it didn’t lessen what they had done.
They have returned to the playoff picture, a spot they had not been in since June 27, by fighting back in a game that could have and arguably should have gone another way.
And two guys who were scheduled for rest on Wednesday played significant roles at the end.
Just like Tatis, who has started all but five of the Padres’ 122 games, Campusano had been given the day off before coming in to catch in the ninth inning.
“We just don’t give up until the end,” Merrill said. “And that includes everybody in the starting lineup or not in the starting lineup. You know, Tatis coming off the bench and hustling his ass off for the game-tying run, that won us the game. We’re all ready to get in there. We’re all ready to do our jobs in the end.”