SAN FRANCISCO -- In the early days of his big league career, Jackson Merrill has shown an impressive ability to adapt, whether it be to his new position in center field or the overall changes that accompany life at the highest level of baseball.

Not only that, but the results he's getting aren't half bad for someone who hadn't played above Double-A prior to 2024.

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Merrill raised his batting average to .324 by going 4-for-4 with a stolen base on Sunday afternoon, becoming the second-youngest Padre to record a four-hit game, at 20 years, 354 days. Fernando Tatis Jr. did so at 20 years, 193 days in 2019.

The quartet of hits for Merrill, the club's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, paced the Padres' lineup as they outhit the Giants but could not hold on in the late innings, falling, 3-2, in the series finale at Oracle Park to drop the three-game set.

"Gosh, man, what good at-bats. What an approach," Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Merrill. "He's clearly understanding what he's doing. Every situation, he's taking the right at-bats. He's got a good mentality."

The loss had echoes of San Diego's one-run woes from last season, when the club posted an MLB-worst 9-23 record in such games. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, the 2023 National League utility Gold Glover, had the first two-error game of his Major League career. Both miscues led to Giants runs.

"Super uncharacteristic out of Kimmy," Shildt said. "We've got a great defensive team, guys we trust. And this guy's clearly deservingly won a Gold Glove. … Sometimes, you've got to prove you're human."

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee led off the frame by tapping a ground ball right at Kim, whose throw to first base sailed over Jake Cronenworth's head. Lee came around to score when Matt Chapman reached on a fielder's choice later in the inning.

"It was my mistake, and that's completely my fault," Kim said in Korean, via interpreter David Lee.

Kim also bobbled a throw from Cronenworth in the bottom of the eighth as he tried to complete an inning-ending double play. Instead, the tying run scored on the play, and the Giants plated the eventual game-winner one batter later.

With San Francisco closer Camilo Doval on the mound in the ninth, San Diego failed to mount a comeback. But Merrill gave the club some late life with his fourth single of the game and his first big league stolen base to reach scoring position for pinch-hitter Luis Campusano, who struck out to seal the loss.

"I loved all the at-bats," Shildt said. "I loved the at-bat in the ninth, and I loved him having the ability to go grab that bag that put him in scoring position. … He played the game right in every phase all series."

Merrill was a bright spot over the weekend as the Padres endured their second consecutive series loss, going 5-for-9 with a run and a walk in the three-game set and looking comfortable in the spacious confines of Oracle Park, which can be difficult even for experienced outfielders.

Facing the 2023 NL Cy Young Award runner-up in Logan Webb and an All-Star in Doval on Sunday, Merrill looked poised at the plate, particularly after going 0-for-2 with a strikeout against Webb on Opening Day. Shildt recently praised Merrill's ability to "learn presently" in his first taste of the big leagues.

"I've always been the younger kid, like the smaller kid on the field," Merrill said. "I've kind of had to make adjustments with everything. I've had to play a certain type of game that could help the team, rather than just trying to be the main guy."

That said, Merrill could be on the rise in the Padres' lineup. He has batted only eighth and ninth in the order so far, but his .395 on-base percentage through 12 games could eventually force the issue.

"He's going to tell us when he's ready to move up, for sure," Shildt said. "And he's definitely making a case."

When it comes to the state of the Padres, who are 5-7 to open the season, Merrill feels as calm and collected as he appears on the field.

"Obviously, we want to be 12-0. It's what every team wants to be," he said. "But we'll keep grinding and trust the process. Everything will play out in the future. I don't think anyone has any doubt in this locker room; we're all locked in."