Padres win on Merrill walk‑off

Jackson Merrill finished San Diego’s five-run ninth inning with a two-run double Wednesday night, giving the Padres a 7-6 win over Seattle. (espn.com) The Padres trailed 6-2 entering the bottom of the ninth at Petco Park before rallying against Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. Manny Machado opened the inning with a walk, and San Diego loaded the bases before Merrill drove the final two runs into the left-field corner. (mlb.com) San Diego scored all five runs in the inning to extend its winning streak to seven games. The victory was the Padres’ third walk-off win during that streak. (mlb.com) The comeback came one night after the Padres beat Seattle 4-1 in the series opener, pushing San Diego to 12-6 and keeping pressure on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Seattle fell to 8-11. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Merrill changed the game earlier, too. In the third inning, he reached over the center-field wall to take away a home run from Julio Rodríguez, preserving San Diego’s deficit before the late rally. (mlb.com) Seattle had built its lead behind a four-run sixth inning, and the Mariners were still ahead by four runs when the ninth began. San Diego’s rally turned a game that looked finished into another one-run win in a season already full of tight finishes. (espn.com) The Padres and Mariners were scheduled to finish the series Thursday night in San Diego. After Wednesday’s finish, San Diego had a chance for a three-game sweep and an eighth straight win. (espn.com)