Padres win 4-3 in 11 innings to sweep MLB-leading Brewers

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jackson Merrill hit a tying sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and Luis Campusano followed with a two-out single to bring in Sun-Mung Song from second base as the San Diego Padres beat the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.

The surging Padres have won five straight and 15 of 19 to move into the National League's second wild-card spot ahead of Arizona and Philadelphia.

Gary Sánchez doubled home the go-ahead run for Milwaukee off Adrian Morejon (9-2) in the top of the 11th.

Merrill tied it when his sac fly off Antonio Senzatela (9-4) brought in automatic runner Jake Cronenworth. Song, who pinch ran after Ty France was hit by a pitch, stole second before Campusano punched an opposite-field single to right. Luis Lara's throw home was high, allowing Song to slide in headfirst with the winning run.

The Padres tied the game at 2 with two outs in the eighth when Fernando Tatis Jr. raced around from second base to score on Cronenworth's infield single.

Cronenworth hit a bouncer to first baseman Jake Bauers, who flipped it to reliever Aaron Ashby but he was late covering first and Cronenworth beat him to the bag for an RBI single. Ashby turned toward home but didn’t make a throw as Tatis sprinted in with the tying run.

Dustin May pitched brilliantly into the eighth for the Brewers. He allowed one run and four hits, struck out six and walked two. He gave up Xander Bogaerts' homer in the third.

Sánchez, who was with the Padres for part of the 2023 season, homered to left field against Robbie Ray in the second.

Brewers LHP Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.87 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.54) on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series in Los Angeles.

Padres RHP Michael King (7-8, 3.37 ERA) is set to start Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Cleveland, which counters with RHP Gavin Williams (11-6, 3.55).

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San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates after scoring off an RBI single by Jake Cronenworth during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Luis Campusano, right, is doused by teammate Ty France after Campusano hit a walk off single and. the Padres defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Luis Campusano, second from left, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off single to defeat the Brewers during the eleventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Luis Campusano, runs after hitting a walk off single to defeat the Brewers during the eleventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The man charged with killing Charlie Kirk shouldn’t get the death penalty because the shooter “hit the intended target” and no one else was endangered when the conservative activist was shot from a rooftop at an event in Utah last year, his lawyers said.

Defendant Tyler Robinson's attorneys say the bullet traveled above the crowd of several thousand people at Utah State University on Sept. 10 and “there were no threats to others.” Whether the shooting endangered the crowd is a key issue: Prosecutors cited the risk that other people could have been harmed as an aggravating factor under state law that makes Kirk's killing a capital crime.

“The only evidence presented supports that the bullet traveled above, not through, the crowd,” defense attorneys wrote in documents filed late Tuesday as the defense tries to block the case from proceeding to trial.

The defense lawyers also disputed claims that Robinson targeted Kirk over his political views. Prosecutors allege Robinson told his roommate that he killed the activist because he “had enough of his hatred.” But the defense said that was not enough to prove what motivated Robinson, after searches of his apartment, computers and telephone failed to produce anything beyond that one statement.

Prosecutors last month during a weeklong hearing presented what they call “overwhelming” evidence against Robinson, including DNA tests that tie him to the suspected murder weapon and apparent confessions by the defendant.

His attorneys questioned the reliability of the DNA tests and other evidence. They didn't offer any alternative theories for Kirk's assassination, and made no mention of DNA in Tuesday's filing.

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not yet entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after Kirk was killed.

His defense attorneys previously tried to get the death penalty taken off the table after prosecutors were found to be in contempt of court for talking about the case to the media. State District Judge Tony Graf rejected that request.

In documents filed last month, prosecutors said the fact that Robinson loaded his rifle with four bullets showed that he knew he could miss Kirk, “thereby putting others in danger.”

But defense attorneys said “it is just as likely that the shooter did not believe he would miss.”

Robinson faces possible sentence enhancements if prosecutors can prove he targeted Kirk because of his politics. They contend that Kirk’s strong opposition to same-sex marriage and gender transitioning stood in contrast to Robinson, who was in a romantic relationship with a roommate, Lance Twiggs. Twiggs told investigators that he had been considering transitioning around the time that Kirk was killed, according to prosecutors.

Twiggs also told investigators that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including President Donald Trump. Yet Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ+ rights, Twiggs said. The AP emailed Twiggs’ attorney seeking comment.

Closing arguments in the preliminary hearing are scheduled for Sept. 1. Graf will then decide if the case can go to trial and on what charges. Lawyers for Kirk’s family have asked Graf to make his decision by or on Sept. 1 so the case can proceed.

Prosecutors have until Aug. 18 to respond to the latest defense arguments. The Associated Press left telephone and email messages with the Utah County Attorney’s Office seeking comment.

Preliminary hearings typically don’t last so long. Legal experts said the slow pace reflects a cautious approach by Graf, the large volume of evidence and a desire by prosecutors to disprove conspiracy theories around the case.

FILE - Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)

FILE - Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf speaks during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, July 8, 2026. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, Pool, File)

FILE - Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, on June 12, 2026. (Francisco Kjolseth /The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)