Jackson Merrill belted a two-run homer Monday night in the bottom of the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres rallied for a 3-2 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
With Ty France aboard after a one-out single that snapped Logan Henderson’s string of 13 straight hitters retired, Merrill crushed a 1-1 changeup an estimated 431 feet to center for his 19th homer. It was his ninth homer since the All-Star break, tied for most in the majors with Atlanta’s Matt Olson of Atlanta and Boston’s Wilyer Abreu.
Yuki Matsui (3-1) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to garner the win and Adrian Morejon induced a double-play ball from Jake Bauers to end the eighth. Mason Miller worked the ninth for his 30th save in 31 chances as San Diego won for the fourth time in five games.
Henderson (6-2) pitched a career-high 6 1/3 innings, yielding five hits and three runs while walking one and striking out seven. San Diego starter Casey Mize permitted five hits and two runs over six innings, issuing two walks and whiffing six.
Mize, who was hammered for eight runs in his first Padres start, a 10-4 loss in Arizona last Wednesday, looked much better. His only mistake was a first-pitch fastball in the second that Christian Yelich ambushed, driving it into the seats in left for his eighth homer after William Contreras walked.
San Diego got a run back in its half of the second when Ty France led off and lined a changeup over the left field wall for his 17th homer. The Padres angled to tie the score in the third when Freddy Fermin led off with a double and reached third on Sung-Mun Song’s sacrifice bunt.
But Henderson induced a groundout from Fernando Tatis Jr. and fanned Jake Cronenworth to end the threat. He didn’t have to pitch from the stretch again until facing Merrill in the game’s most critical at-bat.
Milwaukee managed a two-out baserunner in the ninth when Contreras drew a walk but pinch runner Brandon Lockridge was nailed trying to steal second.
