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Jackson Merrill and the Padres rebounded from their hard-fought 8-7 Game 1 loss to the Dodgers on Monday with an 11-1 demolition in Game 2 on Tuesday. Wrecked by injury to starting pitchers, the Dodgers opted for a bullpen game, beginning with Lou Trivino. Even utility player Kike Hernandez pitched 2.1 innings.
Merrill had the opportunity to face Hernandez and was asked about it during the post-game interview. The 22-year-old outfielder's response was hilarious.
"That was the nastiest cutter I've ever seen, dude," Jackson Merrill said (1:21). "It literally, like he would step out of the batter's eye, and it would go across the whole other batter's box and the plate. That man was was nasty. Shout out to Kike. I don't think I would get hit off that if I face him again."
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A reporter jokingly said that Hernandez would love Merrill's response, to which the Padres All-Star suggested: let it boost the Dodgers star's confidence. Hernandez had only give up a single earned run in the 2.1 innings pitched and walked two batters but couldn't strike out any.
Despite the loss, the Dodgers are still atop the National League West. The Padres, meanwhile, are third behind the San Francisco Giants — a single win separates the Dodgers from the Giants and the Giants from the Padres.
Jackson Merrill shares thoughts about Dylan Cease's outing vs Dodgers
Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease hasn't performed to expectations of late. Cease had given up three earned runs in his previous four starts, against the Giants, Pirates, Braves and the Blue Jays. In April, Cease's ERA was as high as 6.04.
However, Cease flipped the script against the Dodgers on Tuesday. He pitched seven innings, striking out 11 sluggers, while not giving a run. During the post-game interview, Jackson Merrill was asked about Cease's performance.
"I love Dylan going that long, and you know," Merrill said (0:39). "That's the Dylan I know. And you know, he has been hard on himself. I think he's been doing a good job keeping us in games all year long. You know, everybody has a bad game now and then, pitchers do it too. But you know, that was Dylan. That was Dylan," he added.
Cease's return to form is a welcome boost for the Padres. Yu Darvish and Michael King are on the injured list, leaving Cease and Nick Pivetta to lead the starting rotation.
As for Jackson Merrill, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up is batting at an average of .304. He had signed a nine-year, $135 million contract with the Padres on April 2, a sign that the Padres see him in their long-term plans, with Fernando Tatis Jr.
