Padres' Jackson Merrill: Racks up four hits in win
Rotowire
Merrill went 4-for-5 with a triple, a double and three runs scored in Wednesday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.
Merrill had two chances to swing for the fences to complete a cycle, but he struck out and singled in those at-bats. It was still a fantastic game for the rookie, who has three multi-hit efforts over his last four games. He's slashing .284/.316/.443 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI, 45 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 14 doubles and three triples over his first 100 major-league contests.
Merrill went 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in a 10-8 win against Arizona on Friday.
Merrill knocked in San Diego's first run on a groundout in the second inning and added a two-run triple in the fourth. The outfielder also put an end to a streak of three games in which he had struck out multiple times. Despite that recent stretch, punchouts haven't been a problem for Merrill in the majors -- he has a very tolerable 17.0 percent strikeout rate through 323 plate appearances. The rookie is proving to be a capable big-league hitter, slashing .289/.321/.456 with 12 home runs, 46 RBI, 40 runs and 10 stolen bases through 88 games.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Moves up to No. 3 spot
Rotowire
Merrill will start in center field and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Rangers.
Merrill had one start out of the leadoff spot back in mid-April and batted fifth a couple times last month, but this will be his first-ever start from the third spot in the Padres' batting order. The rookie outfielder has earned the assignment by slashing a robust .352/.380/.727 with nine home runs, 21 RBI and two stolen bases over his last 23 games. Jake Cronenworth has typically hit third since Fernando Tatis (quad) went down and has a day off Thursday, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Merrill receive more opportunities from the middle of the San Diego batting order.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Records 10th steal
Rotowire
Merrill went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one stolen base in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rangers.
Merrill stole his first base since June 9. Over the 20 games between thefts, the rookie outfielder impressed, hitting .347 with nine home runs, 19 RBI and 14 runs scored. For the season, he's at a .293/.326/.458 slash line with 12 homers, 10 steals, 43 RBI and 39 runs scored over 86 contests while taking on a near-everyday role in center field.
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Wraps up huge June with three hits
Rotowire
Merrill went 3-for-4 with a double and a run in Sunday's loss to Boston.
Merrill was the only Padre to notch multiple hits in the contest, and he scored the team's only run after belting a one-out double in the seventh inning. The rookie finished June with back-to-back three-hit games, with half of his knocks during the pair of contests going for extra bases. Merrill swung a hot bat for most of the month, and he finished June with a .320/.346/.650 slash line along with nine home runs, 20 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases.
Merrill went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and a double in an 11-1 rout of the Red Sox on Saturday.
Merrill increased San Diego's lead to 4-0 with a fourth-inning solo blast and capped the scoring in the contest with an RBI double in the eighth. The rookie has homered in back-to-back contests and in half of his past 10 games. Extended further, Merrill's power surge has included nine long balls over his past 16 contests, and he's slashing .333/.365/.817 with 18 RBI and 12 runs during that stretch.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Slugs 11th homer
Rotowire
Merrill went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Friday's 9-2 win over the Red Sox.
The rookie capped San Diego's improbable nine-run fifth inning by sending a Greg Weissert fastball over the fence in straightaway center field. Merrill's power has emerged as the weather has heated up -- while his 11 homers through 82 games is already good for a 21-year-old in his first MLB campaign, eight of those long balls have come in his last 15 contests, a stretch in which he's batting .309 (17-for-55) with 11 runs and 16 RBI.
