SAN DIEGO -- The Astros’ grip on the AL West tightened into something a lot less comfortable Saturday night, and a 3-2 loss to the Padres made sure of it.
Houston had just blasted its way through Petco Park a night earlier, but this one turned into a different kind of game: tight, tense and decided by a few early mistakes and a late push that came up just short. The defeat squared the weekend series at one game apiece and pushed the teams into a decisive Game 3 on Sunday, with the Astros trying to avoid back-to-back series losses after dropping their previous set to Toronto following a 12-3 stretch.
The other sting for Houston came from elsewhere in the standings. With the Rangers winning for a fourth straight time, the Astros’ lead in the division shrank to half a game.
Peter Lambert took the ball for Houston and spent much of the night working through traffic. He lasted five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts, all while his pitch count kept climbing.
San Diego made him pay in the third, when Jackson Merrill sent a solo shot to center to give the Padres a 2-1 edge. The home club tacked on an unearned run in the fourth after an infield error, and that was enough cushion to hold off Houston until the final inning.
“Just wasn't very sharp from the first hitter,” Lambert said postgame. “Walking the first guy, it's never the right recipe.
Was able to get out of it with only one, which was obviously a good thing, but just wasn't very sharp. ... Personally, I just didn't think I was very sharp.
I wasn't able to locate as well as I have in the past.”
Joe Espada, though, focused on the fact that Lambert kept the Astros within striking distance.
“That's Peter just grinding through it -- gave us five innings, kept us in the game, gave us a chance to win,” Espada said. “He pitched out of trouble a few times. ...
I thought for the most part, the stuff was there. I thought that was your typical Peter: competing, battling, making pitches.”
At the plate, Houston never found much rhythm against Michael King and the Padres’ bullpen. The Astros went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners overall. Taylor Trammell did his part early, tying things up in the second with a solo homer to right-center, but the offense stalled after that and hit a wall in the middle innings, including a bases-loaded chance in the seventh that slipped away.
Houston’s bullpen did its job and held San Diego to three runs, setting up one last shot against Mason Miller in the ninth. Christian Walker was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a wild pitch and then watched Yainer Diaz come through with a two-out RBI single to cut the deficit to one. But LaMonte Wade Jr. grounded out to end it, leaving the Astros one swing short.
“Like the fight there at the end -- we were one swing away from tying that game,” Espada said.
In Other News...
Carlos Correa's Return Just Created An Astros Dilemma
Carlos Correa is spending the weeks after his May ankle surgery in the sort of rehab phase that keeps the door cracked open for a late-2026 return to Houston. He has resumed on-field work and is moving back toward game shape, which naturally gets Astros fans thinking about a reunion with a familiar face who still knows how this place works.
But the fit is not nearly as simple as the sentiment. Houstons infield is already crowded, the designated hitter spot is spoken for, and the more pressing issue around the club is not another bat but a starting rotation that has struggled this season. Correas progress matters, but it also underscores the question the Astros will have to answer later: where, exactly, would he fit if and when he is ready? [Read more 🡒]
Cristian Javiers Return Comes With One Big Astros Concern
Cristian Javier is back on the mound for Houston after working his way back from a shoulder strain, and the Astros can at least feel better about one part of the picture. His fastball velocity has returned to about 92.9 mph, which suggests the right-hander is again throwing with the kind of arm strength the club had been waiting for as it navigates its current pitching issues.
The concern is what the fastball is doing once it leaves his hand. Even with some effectiveness still showing on his secondary pitches, hitters have had more success against the overall mix, and the pitch that used to set everything up has not looked quite the same. For an Astros rotation trying to steady itself, Javiers return matters, but so does the question of whether the stuff that made him such a tough at-bat can fully come back. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Suddenly Have A Post Break Slide They Cant Ignore
The Astros rough start to September only got a little more uncomfortable Wednesday night at Petco Park, where a 7-2 loss to the Padres extended a familiar theme from the past week. Daulton Varsho gave Houston an early lift with a two-run homer, but the offense faded from there while San Diego answered with power of its own and kept the Astros from building any real momentum.
Cristian Javier was back on the mound for just his third start since returning from injury, and the outing was encouraging only in the sense that he got through five innings. He still allowed four earned runs, which left Houston chasing the game after Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered the kind of timely swings that have made the difference in close games. With a second straight series loss now on the books, the Astros are suddenly staring at a post-break slide they cannot afford to brush off. [Read more 🡒]