Jackson Merrill News: Plates four runs in opener

Merrill went 1-for-3 with four RBI in Thursday's 7-4 win against Atlanta.

Merrill managed to knock in more than half of San Diego's seven runs despite reaching base just once on a single. He plated the Padres' first two runs with the first-inning hit, brought another runner home with a third-inning groundout and finished his day with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The performance was a strong start to Merrill's sophomore campaign as he looks to build upon last season's second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting.