MILWAUKEE — Rarely in baseball does expectation turn into reality.

But Saturday night, the Milwaukee Brewers' 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres at Miller Park it was even more.

One doesn't expect a night of offense when Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets matches up with Padres right-hander Jake Peavy, and this expectation was more than met.

The only meaningful offense came in the third when Ryan Braun dribbled an two-out nubber down the first-base line and Peavy's short-arm throw to Adrian Gonzalez was too hard and too low for the usually sterling first baseman to handle on a play that was ruled a hit. Prince Fielder followed with a line double off the wall in right that scored Braun.

That was it. But there was so much more to that one instance as well as the rest of the crisply played game that took a measly 2 hours, 7 minutes to complete.

Much like New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes did earlier in the week to the Brewers, Braun was well on the infield side of the baseline, so close that it would have been hard to question an umpire's judgment if Braun had been ruled out of the baseline. The Padres knew it. So did the Brewers.

"I wasn't hoping anybody would call it," Brewers manager Ned Yost said, "but I was ready to argue."

Then there was third base coach Dale Sveum's decision to send Braun home. If the Brewers had been hitting of late and facing a pitcher not as dominant as Peavy, Sveum might have held Braun at third and few would have argued because Fielder's hit was a screamer — and the relay from right-fielder Brian Giles was in the hands of second baseman Matt Antonelli in plenty of time to get Braun.

"I knew if (Braun) did go, I knew I was going to try to go to third and force them to cut it off and try to get me out so he could score," Fielder said.

Antonelli's throw sailed over the head of catcher Josh Bard to make the whole argument academic.

After Sheets made that 1-0 lead hold up through eight innings, the last decision for Yost was whether to let Sheets head out for the ninth in search of his third shutout and fifth complete game of the season.

"It was almost win it or lose it," Yost said about his decision.

There was a moment when it appeared Sheets (13-7) just might lose it.

Luis Rodriguez opened the inning with a single, his third hit off Sheets, who allowed just two others.

With two outs, Chase Headley singled to move pinch-runner Jody Gerut to third. Rookie Will Venable then stunned the sellout crowd of 42,667 with a long foul to right, a ball that wasn't even close to being fair but still hit so hard that the cheering audience was momentarily silenced. The cheers returned to a deafening pitch when Venable grounded to Rickie Weeks at second for the final out.

"I never doubt our offense," Sheets said, "but I knew we weren't going to get many runs against (Peavy)."

There is one guarantee in a game like this.

"If you play a 1-0 game, there are going to be plays that are important," third baseman Craig Counsell said. "We made them in important spots."

Counsell made several of them. He made one stop to his left on Kevin Kouzmanoff's grounder for the final out in the sixth that would have scored Rodriguez from second. Even though he didn't get an out on the play, Counsell's backhanded stop of Rodriguez's ninth-inning grounder down the line kept the Padres shortstop from reaching second.

Gabe Kapler, in center for Mike Cameron who was resting a sore left knee, made a diving catch of pinch-hitter Drew Macias' effort for a leadoff hit in the eighth.

But the play of the game belonged to Weeks, who made a diving stab of Headley's vicious one-hopper to end the fourth and leave Rodriguez once again stranded at second base.

"I had a pretty good angle on it," said Weeks, not exactly noted for his defensive contributions. "The key is the first step."

The key was also scrambling upright and making a good throw to Fielder at first to get the speedy Headley.

"That's the best play I've ever seen Rickie make," Yost said. "That play's been years in the making. It saved the game."

It also helped save some self respect for the Brewers, who have now won two straight after losing four in a row at the start of the homestand.

"When we hit a lull, we snap out of it," Counsell said.