Jackson Merrill homered and knocked in two runs while Michael King sailed through six innings of one-run ball as the San Diego Padres edged the visiting Houston Astros 3-2 on Saturday night.
Merrill snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third inning when he launched his 17th homer of the season off Houston starter Peter Lambert’s 3-2 fastball. The ball traveled an estimated 421 feet over the center field wall.
King and San Diego’s top-end relievers made it stick. King (7-8) gave up only three hits and one walk while striking out six over 93 pitches. Mason Miller allowed a run in the ninth before notching his 29th save in 30 chances. San Diego is one game back of Philadelphia for the final NL wild-card spot.
Lambert (8-6) lasted five innings, yielding five hits and three runs (two earned). He walked three and fanned three over a 97-pitch outing in Houston’s fourth loss in 17 games. The Astros’ American League West lead over the Texas Rangers was trimmed to a half-game.
The Padres initiated scoring in the first on an odd play. With the bases filled and one out, Merrill lifted a fly ball to shallow right that dropped in front of Cam Smith. Smith was able to force Ty France at second but Fernando Tatis Jr. scored.
The Astros tied it in the second with one swing of Taylor Trammell’s bat. He walloped a high 1-2 fastball an estimated 409 feet over the wall in right-center for his seventh homer of the season.
In the fourth, Tatis’ two-out grounder to shortstop Jeremy Pena was booted for an error that enabled Gavin Sheets to score from third for a 3-1 lead.
Houston missed on a scoring chance in the seventh when it filled the bases with two outs against Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon. Morejon then squashed the threat when he fanned Jake Meyers.
The Astros got to Miller in the ninth when Yainer Diaz golfed a 1-2 slider into left for a two-out RBI single that scored Christian Walker. Leading off the inning, Walker was plunked on the hand by a 101.6 mph fastball, reached second on a wild pitch and third on an infield out. After striking out Smith, Miller got pinch hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. to bounce out to third.
