San Diego controlled the game from the mound and made just enough noise at the plate to beat Houston 3-2 at Petco Park. Michael King anchored the win with six innings of one-run ball, and closer Mason Miller survived a shaky ninth to lock it down.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| SD | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 5 | 1 |
King allowed just 3 hits and 1 run (1 earned) over 6.0 innings, walking one and striking out six across 93 pitches. The right-hander kept Houston's lineup off balance for most of the night before handing things to the bullpen, which covered the final three innings with 1 run allowed. King improved to 7-8 with the decision, carrying a 3.37 ERA.
The Padres never trailed after the first inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Merrill in the opening frame, putting San Diego ahead 1-0. Houston answered in the second when Taylor Trammell homered to right-center to tie it at 1-1, but Merrill delivered the go-ahead blow in the third, homering to center to make it 2-1 and giving the Padres a lead they would not relinquish. San Diego added another run in the fourth when Gavin Sheets scored on a fielding error by Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena, pushing the margin to 3-1.
Peter Lambert took the loss for Houston, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts over 5.0 innings. The Astros bullpen kept things quiet after that, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings, but Houston could not generate enough offense. Yainer Diaz singled home Christian Walker in the ninth to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Mason Miller closed it out for his 29th save despite allowing that run.
Jackson Merrill finished 1-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBI, while Fernando Tatis Jr. added a hit and a walk in the win. San Diego improved to 61-57, snapping in with a first win after its previous result, while Houston fell to 60-58.