Jun 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Gavin Sheets (30) high fives outfielder Jackson Merrill (3) after hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Cincinnati, Ohio – Before the 2025 season, Padres fans barely blinked when the club signed Gavin Sheets to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Now, with just under half the season left, that contract looks like an absolute steal.
Sheets put on another middle-of-the-order clinic Saturday in Cincinnati, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a towering go-ahead three-run homer that lifted the Padres to a 6-4 win over the Reds. The Friars evened the weekend series after being no-hit through eight innings on Friday, proving they still have plenty of fight left in them.
It wasn’t a pretty outing from starter Randy Vasquez, who gave up nine hits and four runs before getting chased in the fifth. But the bullpen — again — proved its value. Bryan Hoeing, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, and Robert Suarez combined to allow just three baserunners over the final 4.1 innings. Suarez nailed down his 23rd save, striking out Spencer Steer — Friday’s three-homer villain — with two men on to seal the victory.
The Padres offense looked stuck early against Reds lefty Andrew Abbott, who left after five innings with a 4-1 lead. But Luis Arraez, who rarely shows off home run power, jolted some life into the bats with a solo homer in the fifth — only his fourth of the year. Then Jake Cronenworth connected on a two-run shot in the sixth against former Padre Scott Barlow, bringing the Friars within 4-3.
That set the stage for Sheets in the seventh. After Jackson Merrill doubled and Xander Bogaerts walked, Sheets unloaded on a Lyon Richardson fastball, crushing it 422 feet to right-center to give San Diego a lead they wouldn’t surrender. It was the Padres’ only hit with runners in scoring position all night — they went 1-for-8 — but Sheets made sure it was the one that counted.
The 28-year-old is on track for the best season of his career. In just 79 games, Sheets has slugged 13 homers and driven in 49 runs, just shy of the career highs (15 HR, 53 RBI) he posted with the White Sox in 2022 over a full 124-game season. Add in a run-saving diving catch on Rece Hinds’ liner in the fifth inning Saturday, and it’s clear Sheets is giving the Padres everything they hoped for — and then some.
Before first pitch, Cincinnati held a moment of silence for local hero and Hall of Famer Dave Parker, who died Saturday at age 74
