Friday, April 17

SAN DIEGO -- On their perfect 7-0 homestand, the Padres staged three dramatic walk-off victories, each one wilder than the last. Luis Campusano won’t go down as the hero in any of those walk-offs -- but his contributions were integral to all three.

• On April 9 against the Rockies, Campusano’s two-out double tied the game in the 11th before Xander Bogaerts hit a walk-off grand slam in the 12th.

• On April 10, also against the Rockies, Campusano and Gavin Sheets launched solo homers, before Sheets broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth with a walk-off three-run shot, christening the new City Connects.

• On Wednesday, with the Padres down to their final out, Campusano laced an RBI single to left-center, setting the stage for Jackson Merrill’s walk-off double two batters later.

Shortly after Merrill’s double, I was speaking with Sheets about the quality of at-bats up and down the lineup during the winning rallies in all three games -- and not merely in the walk-off plate appearance itself. Sheets instantly steered the conversation to Campusano.

“I don’t think he’s gotten enough love,” Sheets said. “There’s not three walk-offs without Campy. I don’t want that to get lost in what’s going on. Because his at-bats this last week have been against ninth-inning guys, special closers. And we don’t have walk-offs without Campy.

“He hasn’t been the guy that’s gotten 'em done. But he’s been the guy that made 'em happen. Credit to him.”

Even more impressive? In two of those games -- the two games in which Campusano kept it alive with a hit when the Padres were down to their final out -- he had started on the bench.

“The approach is the same, doesn’t need to change,” Campusano said. “Just being aware of some of the situations and taking a deep breath and trying to do the best I can.”

"The best I can." Sounds simple. But it’s a distinctly different mindset for Campusano. There’s no extra pressure he’s putting on himself. Rather, Campusano is committed to simply being himself.

“I’m just staying present, not trying to be a hero, but just trying to control what I can,” he said.

You may have seen an interview this week in which Campusano put it as plainly as possible. He says the key to his success is that he’s “just not giving a ...” darn.

Let’s just say he's not giving a darn.

If you don’t know the history, that comment might sound flippant. But if you’ve watched Campusano, you know it’s a mindset that should work for him. Heck, it looks like it’s working already. Campusano is hitting .310 with an .885 OPS in 10 games this season.

More importantly: He looks comfortable. It’s been a long road to this point for Campusano. A one-time top prospect, Campusano has spent parts of seven seasons in the Major Leagues, but has never quite established himself.

A year ago, Campusano won the Triple-A PCL batting title, hitting .336 with a 1.036 OPS. In his 21 big league at-bats? He went 0-fer. Then again, those at-bats were sporadic. The past couple seasons, Campusano has struggled in the big leagues. But he also never established any sort of rhythm.

This year represented a make-or-break season for Campusano. He was out of options. The Padres explored bringing another catcher on board to compete with Campusano, but ultimately decided to let Campusano share time behind the plate with Freddy Fermin. It was a statement. The Padres would be putting their faith in a long-awaited breakthrough from their 2017 Draft pick.

There’s still a long way to go, of course. But it’s already clear how much more Craig Stammen’s staff trusts Campusano than the past two coaching staffs. And that trust is being rewarded. It should be noted, of course, that Stammen, a longtime Padres reliever, was once a batterymate of a younger (and maybe less-sure-of-himself) Campusano.

Stammen was one of the voices in the organization pushing for Campusano to get his chance this season. But he was far from the only one. Campusano is still only 27 years old. His ceiling is one where he's an impact bat at a position without many of those. There have always been defensive concerns. But Stammen dismissed those -- and he’s speaking from experience.

“I always loved throwing to Campy,” Stammen said. “So maybe when the manager feels that strongly about it, it gives him a little nudge. But he’s only done exactly what we expected from him. Probably even a little bit more.”

Stammen recalled having conversations with a younger Campusano, who was then perhaps a bit self-conscious about being shaken off. Stammen himself was a self-professed “shaker” -- no matter who was behind the plate. He reassured Campusano that his pitch calling wasn’t an issue.

Four years later, with Stammen now in the manager’s chair, he sees a more self-assured Campusano.

“All the stuff he’s learned over the past four or five years,” Stammen said, “we’re seeing the fruition of all those learning opportunities.”

Campusano, meanwhile, is loving the opportunity to play for the pitcher-turned-manager who once helped him develop as a young catcher.

"You know what it does? You just really want to win for him," Campusano said. "You know him as a human, as a player because you played with him, as a teammate. For me, I want to go all out for him and win every day."

The Padres open a three-game series against the Angels in Anaheim on Friday. Who is the only player to hit at least 40 home runs for both franchises?

A. Wally Joyner
B. Phil Nevin
C. Justin Upton
D. Dave Winfield

• Nick Pivetta was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow and will be out for a matter of “weeks and maybe months,” manager Craig Stammen said.

• The Padres went 7-0 with three walk-offs. Their second homestand was a whole lot better than their first -- just like they said it would be.

• Jackson Merrill pulled off a spectacular home run robbery in the third inning Wednesday night, then walked it off in the ninth after a wild Padres rally.

• The Padres need this version of Michael King given the concerns elsewhere in their starting rotation. Plus, thoughts on Bogaerts and Adrian Morejon after Tuesday’s Padres victory.

• Mason Miller's scoreless streak is approaching franchise-record territory. Forget runs. No one seems capable of getting a hit against him these days. 

D. Dave Winfield

Winfield hit 154 of his 465 career home runs with the Padres, and added 47 more with the Angels.

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