With all due respect to Paul Skenes ... and that means I can now say whatever I want (it's in the Geneva Convention, look it up) ... Jackson Merrill is the National League Rookie of the Year. And it's no longer all that close.
Merrill was phenomenal again in the Padres' 4-3 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field, giving San Diego a series win and a winning road trip through St. Louis and Tampa. Merrill impacted the game with his bat and his glove, something he's been doing more and more often as his rookie year unfolds.
In the 4th inning he launched a 2-run homer to straightaway centerfield, his 21st dinger of the season, running his RBI total to 79, which is significant because it ties the franchise rookie record for runs batted in. The guy he shares the record with is Benito Santiago, the only San Diego Padre to be named the NL ROY.
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But, in the previous half inning, Merrill made a catch that a guy who has only been playing centerfield for about six months shouldn't be able to make. Jackson got a great jump on a shot to the right-centerfield gap and went into a slide to take away extra bases from Ben Rortvedt.
Merrill's magic seems eternal. The 21-year-old has somehow gotten better as the league learns more about him. Usually it goes the other way with players who get off to hot starts going through some growing pains as opposing teams make their adjustments.
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On the mound, Dylan Cease gave up three runs in 5.0 innings and struck out four then handed it over to arguably the best bullpen in baseball. Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Tanner Scott, and Robert Suarez each threw a scoreless inning, giving the Padres a chance to scrape up one last run.
In the 9th inning they did that thanks to a Xander Bogaerts sacrifice fly that brought home Tyler Wade. San Diego comes home to face the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon, the final game of a grueling stretch of 18 games in 18 days. If they win that one they'll have gone through the gauntlet with a 10-8 record, something any team would hang their hat on.
