Jackson

Merrill

Merrill is hitting second for the first time since late July as San Diego attempts to stave off elimination and begin climbing out of an 0-2 deficit as the best-of-five series shifts to Petco Park. It’ll be Ethan Salas handling the catching duties for the third time in five postseason contests with Gavin Sheets getting the nod at DH. Here’s the full lineup: Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF), Merrill (CF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Salas (C), Sheets (DH), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Dustin Harris (LF) and Jake Cronenworth (2B).

The Padres are rolling with the same starting nine that they did in Game 1, the only change is that Salas and Xander Bogaerts have swapped lineup spots and Luis Campusano will do the catching with Salas serving as the DH. Here’s how they’ll line up against Brewers’ right-hander Logan Henderson on Sunday: Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF), Dustin Harris (LF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Jackson Merrill (CF), Salas (DH), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Luis Campusano (C) and Jake Cronenworth (2B).

Salas earns his second consecutive nod behind the plate as the Padres kick off a best-of-five matchup against a powerhouse Brewers squad. The 20-year-old prodigy, who is a revelation from a defensive standpoint, has gone 1-for-2 with an RBI in the postseason. Here’s the full lineup: Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF), Dustin Harris (LF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Jackson Merrill (CF), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Salas (C), Luis Campusano (DH) and Jake Cronenworth (2B).

Salas will be the youngest player in baseball history to catch a postseason game when he makes his playoff debut at just 20 years old in this one. The Padres have a chance to punch their ticket to the NLDS after scoring eight runs during a Game 1 blowout victory on Tuesday night at Petco Park. Here’s the full lineup: Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF), Dustin Harris (LF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Jackson Merrill (CF), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Salas (C), Austin Hays (DH) and Jake Cronenworth (2B).

The biggest surprise here is sparkplug Samad Taylor getting a chance to face Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd in the second spot in the order with Dustin Harris presumably set to come off the bench in his place once Chicago goes to the bullpen. Here’s the full lineup as San Diego kicks off the postseason at Petco Park with Michael King on the hill: Tatis Jr. (RF), Taylor (LF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Jackson Merrill (CF), Austin Hays (DH), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Jake Cronenworth (2B) and Luis Campusano (C).

The Padres appear to be mailing it in a bit with nothing to play for on Sunday, despite the fact that the Diamondbacks are still alive for a Wild Card berth. It’s surprising that Tatis especially isn’t in there, as he’s just two stolen bases away from 40 for the season. Along with Tatis, Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill are also sitting for the Padres on Sunday.

Merrill’s only hit of the game left the yard as he took Cesar Perdomo deep for a solo shot in the third inning. He later drew a walk. The 23-year-old outfielder has turned up the power in the second half, with his 15th since the All-Star break. He’s hitting .248/.299/.439 with 25 homers, 77 runs scored, 80 RBI, and 26 steals across 610 plate appearances.

It was a monstrous performance by Merrill, who tripled home two runs in the bottom of the third. He then delivered a two-run homer in the fifth that put San Diego up 7-2, before smacking a solo shot in the seventh. To cap it off, he drove in Xander Bogaerts in the eighth. Merrill has been a different hitter in the second half, and his 14 homers since the All-Star break are the fifth-most in MLB. He’s up to 24 homers and 25 steals for the season, though he’s hitting just .245 with roughly a league-average wRC+. He doesn’t turn 24 until next April.

Merrill supplied a pair of key run-scoring hits for San Diego with two outs in the first and third innings, respectively, which made the difference in a low-scoring affair at Petco Park. The 23-year-old has put together a nice stretch at the plate recently, hitting .263 (15-for-57) with three homers, nine RBI and one steal over his last 15 games. He’s on pace to establish career-high marks in both the home run and stolen base departments after injuries limited him to just 115 games last year following his impressive rookie campaign.

Merrill blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Shane McClanahan to cut the Rays’ lead to 7-4. It was the 22nd homer of the season for Merrill, who also scored in the fifth inning on a fielder’s choice by Freddy Fermin. Merrill has hit safely in four of his last six games and is slashing .274/.327/.579 in August with seven homers.