Jackson Merrill’s leadoff home run in the eighth inning lifted the visiting San Diego Padres to a series-clinching, 8-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon.
Merrill went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored to lead San Diego, which banged out 12 hits and erased an early 4-0 deficit to claim the series. Manny Machado (2-for-4, three-run homer) and Xander Bogaerts (3-for-3, double) also had multiple hits.
Jeremiah Estrada (1-1) was victorious following a scoreless inning of relief, and Mason Miller struck out the side to post his second save in as many days.
Wilyer Abreu (double, triple, RBI, two runs scored) and Masataka Yoshida (3-for-4, two doubles, three RBI) combined for six of Boston’s nine hits.
Tyler Uberstine (0-1) lost his MLB debut for the Red Sox, allowing one run on three hits across 2 2/3 innings.
Boston lefty Ranger Suarez faced the minimum through 3 1/3 innings, including inducing an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play off Merrill’s bat in the first.
The Padres also had consecutive runners cut down at second base to end the next frame, with Bogaerts being tagged out after looking to take an extra base on a two-out single to Gold Glove right fielder Abreu.
In the third, back-to-back walks to Carlos Narvaez and Roman Anthony turned into runs and helped Boston get a four-run inning going. After a grounder moved both runners into scoring position, Jarren Duran knocked a two-RBI double into the right-field corner to open the scoring.
Another productive out led Duran to third, and Abreu’s triple down the right-field line moved the lead to 3-0, ending San Diego starter Walker Buehler’s outing after 2 2/3 innings. Yoshida then greeted reliever Kyle Hart with an RBI double.
The visitors got back into the game during a three-run fourth, beginning with Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting a wall-ball double and scoring on Merrill’s single to left. After a Machado single and a two-out walk, Nick Castellanos followed with a two-out hit to make it a one-run game.
Luis Campusano’s leadoff single in the fifth ended Suarez’s day (four runs on six hits in four-plus innings). Reliever Greg Weissert struck out the first two batters he faced, but Merrill hit a two-out single before Machado’s long ball.
Boston leveled the score at 6-6 as Abreu and Yoshida hit back-to-back, two-out doubles after reliever Wandy Peralta entered the game in the seventh.
Merrill flipped the score with his solo shot to left-center field in the eighth.
Gavin Sheets started San Diego’s ninth with a double into the center-field triangle and scored on a Tatis sac fly two batters later.
