It took the San Diego Padres just 20 pitches to get all the runs they would need.

But just for good measure, they added a few extras to ensure they wouldn’t need a comeback. The Padres secured another win, beating the Brewers 6-2, and now have three wins in a row, a feat they struggled to accomplish last year.

The Padres jumped on Wade Miley in the first inning, batting around and getting four runs off a Manny Machado single and a Ha Song Kim three-run home run to jump to an early lead.

Hot-Start Kim 👑 pic.twitter.com/ipsDf78xeW

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 16, 2024

Miley would limit the damage after that inning and only lasted three full innings, leaving with four earned runs. Cease, however, continues to look more like his 2022 Cy Young self. He went six innings with seven strikeouts, three each from the knuckle curve and the slider, with one run and two hits allowed.

With yet another excellent straight start, Cease is showing why the Padres and A.J. Prellar coveted the pitcher enough to trade for him. He’s been the team’s ace in the month of April. In referring to his slider, the pitcher was upfront. “It was inconsistent. I’d like it to be a little better,” Cease said after the game.

After a few innings of limited success, the Padres would add a pair in the top of the 7th on a Campusano single and a Merrill force-out.

However, the team had plenty of opportunities to blow the game out; the Padres went 4-for-15 with RISP and left eight men on base. While the Padres are showing signs of improvement compared to 2023, they continue to leave runs on the bases.

The Brewers tried to mount rallies of their own, scoring a run on a Jake Bauers double in the first inning and another run on a William Contreras single in the seventh. While the Brewers made it interesting in the seventh as Adrian Morejon loaded the bases. Matsui came in to relieve Morejon and struck out former Padre Gary Sanchez to get out of the inning. Jhonny Brito and Wandy Peralta closed the game out for San Diego.

On Wednesday, the Padres will try to do something it took them four months to do in 2023: sweep a series. They’ll send Michael King to the bump as he tries to improve off his last outing in Dodger Stadium. The Brewers will send Freddy Peralta to the mound in opposition.

Loren Casuto

A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.

When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.