FriarNotes: France, Merrill homer twice in 19–2 romp; Notes on Tatis, Machado, Campusano

By Bill Center

Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill at Kauffman Stadium

Ty France and Jackson Merrill each hit two home runs Sunday and Fernando Tatis Jr. added his seventh home run of the season as the Padres’ scored a 2026 high in a 19–2 win at Kansas City.

Merrill was 4-for-6 with four RBIs. It was the fourth, four-hit game of his career. He also stole his 20th base. Merrill and Tatis (who stole his 25th base Sunday) make the Padres one of two teams in the Major Leagues this season with two players with 20 or more steals.

France was 2-for-6 with five RBIs Sunday and arrives in Atlanta Monday riding a seven-game hitting streak (11-for-24 with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBIs two walks and seven runs scored for a .463/.500/.1.083/1.583 slash line.

PAD BITS:

— Tatis is 6-for-12 in the first three games after the All-Star break with two home runs, six RBIs, two walks, two steals and four runs for a .500/.571/1.000/1.571 slash line. He homered in each of the final two games in Kansas City, giving him home runs in consecutive games for the first time since last Sept. 21–27, when he homered in three straight games. Tatis now has 159 career home runs to rank fourth on the Padres’ all-time list behind Manny Machado (214 after his 20th of the season Monday in Atlanta), Nate Colbert (163) and Adrian Gonzalez (161).

— Machado drove in the 1,200th run of his career Sunday with a sacrifice fly. Machado is the 160th player in Major League history to reach the 1,200-RBI plateau. His 687 RBIs as a Padre are second on the club’s all-time chart.

— C Luis Campusano was 1-for-2 Sunday and has gone 7-for-22 in 10 games since returning from the injured list with a home run. His slash line for the season is .297/.402/.554/.956.

PADRES HISTORY:

July 18, 1972 — Steve Arlin loses his no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth when Philadelphia’s Denny Doyle gets a bad-hop single over the head of drawn-in third baseman Dave Roberts. The Padres win 5–1 at San Diego Stadium. Arlin’s bid was then the longest no-hit bid in Padres history. Arlin allows a run on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

PADRES ON DECK:

Shortstop Joniel Hernandez, the Padres’ №15 prospect, started and went 0-for-2 in Sunday’s Dominican Summer League All-Star Game. RHP Albieris Polanco struck out two in a scoreless inning. C Jeanfranco Hernandez came in to catch and went 0-for-2.

C Ethan Salas, 20, the Padres’ №1 prospect, was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs scored for Double-A San Antonio Sunday. RHP Garrett Hawkins (4.05 ERA), the Padres’ №12 prospect, allowed a hit with 2 strikeouts in 2 scoreless innings.

RHP Alek Jacob (5–2, 4.38) had a strikeout in a perfect inning to earn the win for Triple-A El Paso.

RF Tavares Tears (.232), the Padres’ №26 prospect, was 2-for-4 with his 13th home run for High Single-A Fort Wayne.

SS Jorge Quintana (.236), the Padres’ №5 prospect, was 1-for-3 with 2 walks and a run scored for Single-A Lake Elsinore.

MINOR LEAGUES:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (42–53) — CHIHUAHUAS 4, Sugar Land 3: LF Carlos Rodriguez (.298) was 2-for-4 with a solo home run. CF Bryce Johnson (.222) was 2-for-4 with a RBI. C Blake Hunt (.279) was 2-for-4. RHP Michael Flynn (7.85) opened the game, giving up a hit with a strikeout in 2 scoreless innings.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (41–49) — Corpus Christi 4, MISSIONS 3: 1B Albert Fabian (.237) was 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. RHP Francis Peña (2.93) gave up a hit with a strikeout in 2 scoreless innings.

HIGH SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (37–52) — LANSING 6, TinCaps 2: C Carlos Rodriguez (.203) hit a solo home run in 4 at-bats. Starting RHP Abraham Parra (5.08) gave up 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and a walk with 3 strikeouts in 5 innings.

SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (46–44) — ONTARIO 11, Storm 5.