Merrill’s Late HR Not Enough as Padres Fall to Giants 3-2
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez writes that the Padres offense continues to be non-existent early in the season. Things need to change.
Mar 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader (9) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Jackson Merrill tried to will his team to victory on Monday night, launching a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was too little, too late, as the San Francisco Giants carried a 3-0 lead into the final frame and held on for a 3-2 victory despite Merrill’s late heroics.
“It was good to see him commit to a plan against a certain pitcher and then execute it and put one in the seats,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said on Merrill. Outside of Merrill’s home run, the Padres managed just two hits over the first eight innings, continuing their early-season offensive struggles. The loss drops San Diego to 1-3 on the season tied with the Giants.
It was a rough debut for Padres pitcher Walker Buehler, still an odd sentence to write, who went four innings, allowing five hits, three runs, and one home run while striking out three. “I think when you're in good counts, you get good luck, and when you're in bad counts, you don’t,” Buehler said. “That's 100% within my control.
So, a cool environment, and obviously exciting to be here. But at the end of the day, I got to be better than that. ” Meanwhile, Giants pitcher Landen Roupp dominated, tossing six innings of two-hit baseball while striking out seven.