Padres Escape 7-6 Loss as Merrill, Tatis Jr. Hit Homers

Late Surge Puts Padres Ahead

San Diego escaped Oracle Park with a 7-6 victory over San Francisco on Saturday, September 12, 2026. The Padres trailed early but used a strong offensive rally in the middle innings to take the lead. The Giants fought back in the eighth inning, but San Diego held on for the win. Attendance at the venue was 40,146.

Scoring Sequence

The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Devers hit a home run to right center, allowing Gilbert to score. San Diego tied the game in the second inning when Harris singled to left, scoring Bogaerts and Hays. Whitcomb then hit a home run to center to give San Francisco a 3-2 lead.

Merrill answered in the third inning with a home run to center, tying the score at 3-3.

The Padres took the lead in the fourth inning when Harris hit a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Taylor to score. In the fifth inning, Cronenworth reached on a bunt single to third, scoring Hays and extending the lead to 5-3. Tatis Jr. added a solo home run to left in the sixth inning, making it 6-3.

Bogaerts scored on an error in the seventh inning, giving the Padres a 7-3 lead.

Pitching and Records

The Giants rallied in the eighth inning. Cavanaugh hit a home run to right, and Gilbert hit a home run to right, scoring Koss and cutting the deficit to 7-6. Michael King earned the win for San Diego, pitching seven innings with five hits, three earned runs, no walks, and four strikeouts.

Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morejon, and Mason Miller recorded the save. Cesar Perdomo took the loss for San Francisco, pitching four and two-thirds innings with ten hits, five earned runs, two walks, and three strikeouts. Joel Kuhnel, Reiver Sanmartin, Jason Foley, Dylan Smith, and Carson Seymour also pitched for the Giants.

The Padres improved to 80-68, while the Giants fell to 62-87.

Sources

ESPN