Gavin Sheets seeks to power Padres to series win vs. Giants

In making five deals on the trade deadline day last month, the San Diego Padres sought to fix weaknesses.

One of the newer strengths manifested itself in Wednesday night’s 8-1 rout of the visiting San Francisco Giants. Gavin Sheets, who started for most of the first four months but has been a bit player over the last three weeks, got his second straight start with center fielder Jackson Merrill (ankle) sidelined and hit a pair of home runs.

Sheets and the Padres will look for a series win on Thursday afternoon the finale of a four-game set in San Diego.

Wednesday night’s outburst, the second two-homer game of the year for Sheets, gave him career-high totals of 17 homers and 58 RBIs. It also marked the Padres’ first four-homer game in their spacious bayside ballpark since last September.

“He’s more than earned his opportunities,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said of Sheets, 29, who played his first four years with the Chicago White Sox.

“We have a lot of good players, and we’re putting them in the best positions we can. How do you stay sharp, stay engaged? He’s been able to do that.”

Both of Sheets’ homers came off meaty breaking balls that he sharply pulled inside the right field foul pole. His second home run, a three-run shot in the third inning, gave San Diego a 6-0 cushion.

“Put your ‘A’ swing on it,” Sheets said of his approach to hitting curves. “Be aggressive and be in the zone.”

While Sheets will look for something in the zone on Thursday, Padres right-hander Dylan Cease (5-11, 4.61 ERA) will try to get acquainted with the zone after a rough start Saturday in a 6-0 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom San Diego trails by one game atop the National League West.

Cease issued six walks in only 3 1/3 innings and allowed five runs (three earned) on two hits. He’s 3-3 with a 3.11 ERA in seven career starts against San Francisco, including a 3-2 loss on June 5 in which he allowed three runs on five hits in five innings.

The Giants will counter with fellow right-hander Justin Verlander (1-9, 4.23 ERA), who’s coming off his best start of the year in his team’s 2-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Saturday. Verlander permitted only two hits and struck out eight in seven shutout innings but got a no-decision after reliever Jose Butto coughed up the lead in the eighth.

It marked the sixth time this year that the team’s bullpen has surrendered a lead during a Verlander start.

“Literally a hard-luck pitcher this year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Verlander after Saturday’s game. “He’s pitched really well in the last month. It was his best stuff of the year.”

In three career starts against the Padres, Verlander is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA.

San Francisco could use some length from Verlander after the team’s short starts in the last two games. Landen Roupp was knocked out after 2 1/3 innings Wednesday night after getting drilled with a 95.7 mph liner in the back of his right leg and suffering a left knee sprain, and Kai-Wei Teng lasted only 3 1/3 innings in a 5-1 loss on Tuesday.

The Giants have only six runs in the series — all coming via homers.

–Field Level Media