Merrill went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run against Minnesota in a loss Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill's two-run blast in the eighth inning didn't have much of an impact on the outcome of the contest, as San Diego still trailed by six runs after the long ball. However, it snapped an eight-game homerless stretch for the rookie and pushed him to 18 home runs and 71 RBI on the campaign. Merrill is working on a modest six-game hitting streak during which he's batted .375 (9-for-24) with five extra-base hits and seven RBI.

Merrill went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Monday's 5-3 win against Minnesota.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill broke a 2-2 tie with a bases-clearing triple in the third inning. The rookie continues to rake, as he's batting .315 (17-for-54) with 10 extra-base hits (four homers, three doubles and three triples) along with 15 RBI through 15 games in August. Paul Skenes remains the favorite for Rookie of the Year honors in the National League, but Merrill could give him a run down the stretch, as he's now at a .290/.321/.484 slash line, 17 long balls, 69 RBI, 61 runs and 13 stolen bases over 458 plate appearances on the campaign.

Merrill is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Colorado.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill's streak of 61 consecutive starts comes to an end Saturday, as the rookie yields to Bryce Johnson in center field. Merrill has an outstanding .290/.322/.486 slash line across 450 plate appearances.

Merrill went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk Sunday in a 9-8 extra-inning victory against Miami.

EDGE Analysis

One day after hitting a game-tying homer in the ninth frame, Merrill belted a big two-run shot in the eighth inning to tie the score 7-7. The rookie outfielder has been incredibly clutch for the Padres, as four of his 17 long balls have either tied the game or given San Diego the lead in the ninth inning or later. Merrill has also been very hot of late, going deep four times in his past four contests and slashing .388/.416/.776 with five home runs, 18 RBI, 18 runs and three stolen base over his past 18 games.

Merrill went 3-for-4 with a walk, a triple, a home run, two RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-2 extra-inning win over the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

The 21-year-old outfielder had a huge game from a fantasy perspective, but it was also clutch for the Padres as his solo shot off George Soriano tied the game in the ninth inning and set the stage for a big 10th. Merrill has been on fire since the All-Star break, slashing .373/.395/.716 over his last 18 games with four homers, three steals, 16 RBI and 17 runs as he makes a push for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Merrill went 4-for-6 with two home runs, three total runs and three total RBI in Wednesday's 9-8 extra-inning victory over Pittsburgh.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill put the Padres on the board with a 442-foot solo shot in the second inning. The game went back and forth from there, with the rookie outfielder adding an RBI single in the fifth, but the Pirates carried a one-run lead into the top of the ninth frame. Pittsburgh closer David Bednar attempted to hold the Padres at bay, but Merrill tied the score with a one-out solo shot to center field. For good measure, Merrill was also a participant in what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the 10th, as his flyout to left field resulted in Xander Bogaerts scoring on an error by Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal. Merrill now has a trio of four-hit performances in a fantastic rookie campaign during which he's posted a .288/.318/.467 slash line, 15 homers, 59 RBI, 54 runs and 11 stolen bases through 112 contests.

Merrill went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill's only hit of the night came at quite an opportune time. Blake Treinen had already given up a homer to Manny Machado to lead off the inning and he then left a hanging cutter which Merrill took full advantage of to tie the game up in the ninth. The long ball was Merrill's first since June 29 and he now has 13 hits, seven RBI and eight runs over his last nine games. Merrill is tied for the National League lead among rookies with 13 homers and leads all rookies with 105 hits. He's slashing .284/.315/.449 with 53 RBI, 48 runs, 11 steals and a 17:74 BB:K in 393 plate appearances.

Merrill went 4-for-5 with a triple, a double and three runs scored in Wednesday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill had two chances to swing for the fences to complete a cycle, but he struck out and singled in those at-bats. It was still a fantastic game for the rookie, who has three multi-hit efforts over his last four games. He's slashing .284/.316/.443 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI, 45 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 14 doubles and three triples over his first 100 major-league contests.

Merrill went 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in a 10-8 win against Arizona on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill knocked in San Diego's first run on a groundout in the second inning and added a two-run triple in the fourth. The outfielder also put an end to a streak of three games in which he had struck out multiple times. Despite that recent stretch, punchouts haven't been a problem for Merrill in the majors -- he has a very tolerable 17.0 percent strikeout rate through 323 plate appearances. The rookie is proving to be a capable big-league hitter, slashing .289/.321/.456 with 12 home runs, 46 RBI, 40 runs and 10 stolen bases through 88 games.

Merrill will start in center field and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill had one start out of the leadoff spot back in mid-April and batted fifth a couple times last month, but this will be his first-ever start from the third spot in the Padres' batting order. The rookie outfielder has earned the assignment by slashing a robust .352/.380/.727 with nine home runs, 21 RBI and two stolen bases over his last 23 games. Jake Cronenworth has typically hit third since Fernando Tatis (quad) went down and has a day off Thursday, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Merrill receive more opportunities from the middle of the San Diego batting order.