Padres’ walk-off win vs. Brewers just made Craig Stammen look like a genius

The San Diego Padres earned a thrilling 4-3 win against the best team in baseball on Wednesday. San Diego earned an 11-inning victory, as Luis Campusano came through with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a big moment to say the least, but it may not have been possible without manager Craig Stammen’s decision in the top of the inning.

Closer Mason Miller handled duties in the 9th inning. He accomplished what he often does and did not allow a run (I mean, the guy has a 0.88 ERA — Miller is truly incredible). The question then became who would Stammen turn to in extra innings? Unsurprisingly, Stammen went with left-hander Adrian Morejon, who may not be as dominant as Miller (no one is this season) but he’s still been quite good.

Morejon made it through the 10th inning and performed well. Many managers may have gone to another reliever in the following inning, but Stammen stuck with Morejon in the top of the 11th after the Padres failed to score in the bottom half of the 10th.

The inning did not begin well and looked like Stammen may have made a mistake. The automatic runner on second base came home to score on a Gary Sanchez double, a play that gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. The Brewers ended up loading the bases but Morejon struck out three hitters to keep it a one-run game.

Stammen’s willingness to stick with his second best reliever in such a big moment was respectable but risky. The move ultimately led to San Diego entering the bottom of the 11th needing just one run to tie the game. Sure enough, the automatic runner on second base came around to score and Campusano later sent the fans in San Diego home happy with his clutch walk-off hit.

The Padres are a legitimate contender and they are finding their momentum at the right time.

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