Key takeaways: Padres 5, Giants 4

SAN DIEGO -- A.J. Preller, you’re on the clock.

The Padres will hit the Trade Deadline (3 p.m. PT on Monday) having won eight of their last nine, landing just one game back of the final spot in the National League Wild Card race.

Preller, San Diego’s ultra-aggressive general manager, was almost certainly keen on adding anyway. But the last couple of weeks should leave no doubt: The Padres are buyers.

Here’s some instant reaction from their 5-4 victory over the Giants on Sunday at Petco Park:

1. Merrill is all the way back

At some point a couple of weeks ago, as the Padres were opening their second half in Kansas City, Jackson Merrill found himself watching videos of his swing from high school. He felt like he wasn’t that hitter anymore. He wanted to be “free and easy, hitting the ball everywhere” again.

So Merrill decided to change his mindset. He wanted to feel like that hitter again.

That mindset shift -- and Merrill insists it isn’t anything mechanical -- sure seems to be working. He homered again on Sunday afternoon -- going 2-for-3 with a walk. Since the All-Star break, Merrill is 21-for-62 with six home runs.

The entire Padres offense has elevated its game recently. But perhaps no one more than Merrill, who batted .219 with a .628 OPS in the first half.

2. Rotation help on the way

With a crucial four-game series looming against the Diamondbacks, the Padres pushed Michael King’s start back to Monday. Only one game separates the two National League West rivals in the Wild Card race.

After that, the Padres have openings in their rotation for Games 2 and 3 of that series. It’s entirely possible they’d fill at least one of those spots externally. They’re almost certainly going to add starting pitching ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline.

Which should limit days like this. In all likelihood, the Padres aren’t going to eliminate bullpen games entirely. They might still use them once or twice through the rotation. But that’s a whole lot more sustainable than four times in five days.

The Padres’ pitching staff felt like it was on its last legs on Sunday. Kyle Hart worked three excellent innings. JP Sears and Griffin Canning allowed runs, but they got the ball to the back-end relievers. Without Mason Miller available, Adrian Morejon nailed down a four-out save.

Help is almost certainly on the way. And it’s needed.