SAN DIEGO -- Red-hot Jackson Merrill hit a monster go-ahead, two-run home run in the seventh inning and the Padres beat the Brewers, 3-2, on Monday night in the opener of a big three-game series at Petco Park.
Merrill put a huge uppercut swing on an 83 mph changeup from Brewers starter Logan Henderson and drove it a Statcast-projected 431 feet to the base of the batters’ eye in straightaway center field with one out and Ty France aboard on a single.
With a launch angle of 30 degrees, the moonshot put a charge into the sellout crowd at Petco Park and proved that the Padres can hang with baseball’s best team.
The homer set the tone for the rest of the series and allowed the Padres to bring on relievers Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon and All-Star Mason Miller, who earned his National League-leading 30th save.
“These games are all going to be close,” manager Craig Stammen said. “We got the big home run at the end to take the lead and we were able to get to our bullpen, which is the strength of our team. But it’s going to be a tightly contested series. I would expect two more games just like tonight.”
Merrill hollered and pumped his right fist after rounding first base.
His nine homers since the All-Star break are the most in the Majors. It was the third time in his career that Merrill has homered in three straight games.
“I’m just being aggressive in the box,” Merrill said. “I'm not afraid to swing and miss. I try to take my walks when I can but I’m not afraid to swing and miss.
“I’m just playing baseball and having fun."
“I think anytime right now, the way he’s taking at-bats, he can hit anything out,” Stammen said. “He was really struggling with that high fastball there for a while and now he's starting to tag a few of those. He just missed one earlier in the game. It was just that time of game where their starting pitcher was wearing down just a little bit. Velocity was starting to creep down and Ty gets on with a big base hit and Jackson puts him away with a homer to dead center. It was awesome.”
The Padres won their third straight game and for the 13th time in 17 games. They remain one game behind Arizona and Philadelphia for the third NL Wild Card spot.
Merrill’s 19th blast of the year backed up Casey Mize in his home debut for the Padres a week after he was acquired from Detroit at the Trade Deadline.
Mize’s only big mistake was allowing an opposite-field, two-run shot to left by Christian Yelich after he walked William Contreras with one out in the second. Both Brewers have been dropped down in the lineup, Contreras to sixth and Yelich to seventh.
Mize got through six innings, allowing two runs and five hits while striking out six and walking one.
“It was good,” Mize said. “It was nice to provide some quality and turn it over to the 'pen and get a few zeros. Jackson gets a big swing in there. I was just trying to keep us in it. I threw pretty good overall.”
Mize lost his Padres debut 10-4 at Arizona on Wednesday, when he allowed eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings.
“I couldn’t wait to get back out there, to go out and have this outing and show these guys this is how I am, more often than not,” Mize said.
France lined an 83 mph changeup from Henderson into the seats in left field, leading off the second to pull the Padres to 2-1. It was his 17th of the season.
It was the second straight game the Padres scored all their runs on home runs.
The Padres had two big defensive plays. Shortstop Sung-Mon Song stretched to catch second baseman Jake Cronenworth’s flip on David Hamilton’s grounder to force Luis Lara at second. Lara originally was called safe but the Padres challenged and it was overturned.
“It was a great catch and a little snow cone,” Stammen said. “He should have licked it afterward.”
Catcher Freddy Fermin threw out two runners trying to steal second, including Brandon Lockridge to end the game.
“It was an all-around great defensive game against a team that puts a lot of pressure on you,” Stammen said.