Merrill Goes Off: Two Homers, a Triple and Six RBIs as Padres Rout Nationals 9-2
Jackson Merrill's 4-for-5, six-RBI night completed a Petco Park sweep, stretched San Diego's winning streak to four and deepened Washington's September freefall.
Jackson Merrill picked the hottest night in Petco Park history to deliver one of the biggest games of his career, going 4-for-5 with a triple, two home runs and six RBIs in Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Nationals — a victory that completed a three-game sweep and kept San Diego's wild-card position intact.
A one-man rally
Merrill's night, as detailed in the AP recap: a two-run triple off the wall in the third that put San Diego ahead 3-2, a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 7-2, a solo shot in the seventh — his 24th of the season — and an RBI single in the eighth for good measure. Per the AP, he became just the third Padres player ever with a triple and two homers in the same game.
Washington had actually led early. Keibert Ruiz homered in the third — his 10th — and Dylan Crews added an RBI single in the same frame. But Ty France singled home Fernando Tatis Jr. in the bottom half before Merrill's triple, and the Nationals never led again. A throwing error by Washington starter Jackson Kent helped San Diego stretch the lead to 5-2 in the fourth.
A strange night for the arms
Padres starter Walker Buehler lasted just 2⅓ innings — removed under the rules after a second mound visit in the third inning, per the AP — but the bullpen made it moot. Kyle Hart threw 2⅓ perfect innings for the win (1-3); Kent took the loss (1-4) after allowing five runs on eight hits. Washington's frustrations boiled over early: manager Blake Butera was ejected by first-base umpire Emil Jimenez in the third.
The stakes
San Diego improved to 78-68, holding a wild-card spot a half-game clear of Arizona in the NL race. Washington fell to 67-81 with a seventh straight loss, playing out a season that ended long ago. With three weeks left, the Padres' job is simple: keep the streaking lineup hot enough to hold their October ticket.