Jul 12, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres heart fielder Jackson Merrill (3) celebrates after hitting a house run in the course of the sixth inning in opposition to the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Obligatory Credit score: David Frerker-Imagn Photos Say this a lot for San Diego Padres heart fielder Jackson Merrill. When he snaps a droop, he would not do it with a bloop single off the top of the bat.
The participant who was 3-for-35 in July getting into play Saturday hit two homers off Nationwide League Cy Younger Award candidate Zack Wheeler to propel his staff to a 5-4 win over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
Merrill and San Diego will goal for a sequence sweep Sunday afternoon within the remaining sport earlier than the All-Star break.
Merrill’s common plummeted to .258 after an 0-for-3 in Friday night time’s 4-2 win. Padres supervisor Mike Shildt had dropped him from second to fourth within the order, then to fifth and at last to sixth, to take a bit strain off a hitter clearly urgent.
A two-run, opposite-field homer within the second inning off Wheeler lit up Merrill’s face as he rounded the bases. A 402-foot solo shot over the right-center-field wall within the sixth tied the sport and strengthened the notion Merrill had discovered the stroke that led to 24 homers final 12 months as a rookie.
Some felt Merrill ought to take a sport off for a psychological break. He did not like that concept.
“A break? I do not desire a break,” he instructed MLB.com earlier than the sport on Saturday. “I by no means desire a break. Particularly proper now. I might reasonably simply maintain enjoying.”
Shildt has had no situation utilizing Merrill regardless of his offensive woes. Merrill has performed wonderful protection, twice robbing residence runs throughout his droop. One in every of them was in a 1-0 win Tuesday night time over the Arizona Diamondbacks, preserving Nick Pivetta’s scoreless outing.
Pivetta (9-2, 3.07 ERA) will return on the market Sunday, seeking to beat his former staff for the second time in 11 days. The appropriate-hander scored a 6-4 win at Philadelphia on July 2, scattering seven hits and permitting a run in six innings with no walks and 6 strikeouts.
Pivetta is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in three profession appearances in opposition to the Phillies.
The Phillies will counter on Sunday with left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (7-2, 2.59), who adopted Pivetta’s July 2 gem with one in all his personal within the night time portion of a day-night twinbill. He gave up only one run over seven innings throughout a 5-1 win over the Padres, putting out 5.
Sanchez is 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA in three lifetime outings in opposition to the Padres. He’s one in all three Philadelphia starters who may have been All-Stars this 12 months, together with Wheeler and Ranger Suarez. Wheeler was chosen however opted to prioritize relaxation over a visit to Atlanta for Tuesday’s sport, and Sanchez was eradicated from consideration as a substitute as a result of he is pitching on Sunday.
Many Phillies had been livid that two of their starters, the core of the highest rotation in baseball this 12 months, had been not noted whereas Milwaukee rookie Jacob Misiorowski was named an All-Star on Friday after pitching simply 25 2/3 innings in 5 MLB begins.
“It is turning into the Savannah Bananas,” Philadelphia proper fielder Nick Castellanos stated of the impartial professional staff recognized for its zany model of baseball.
Philadelphia has different worries apart from feeling shorted by way of All-Star alternatives. The Phillies are 1-4 with one sport remaining on their western swing via San Francisco and San Diego and are a half-game behind the New York Mets for first place within the NL East.
The Phillies additionally misplaced third baseman Alec Bohm within the fourth inning Saturday to a rib cage contusion after he took a Yu Darvish fastball to guide off the second. Bohm’s standing for the Sunday sequence finale is not recognized.
–Subject Stage Media
