Houston loses the series

Padres get walk-off homer to take series from Astros

Astros' Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa
The Astros tied the game late but the Padres still came out in frond on Sunday. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Astros tied the game late but the Padres still came out in frond on Sunday.

After being handed a lopsided loss in the middle game on Saturday to even up the series, the Astros tried to shrug it off and get the series victory with a win on Sunday. After battling back to tie the game late, the Padres would get the final blow to take the series.

Final Score: Padres 4, Astros 3

Astros' Record: 79-57, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Mark Melancon (4-2)

Losing Pitcher: Ryne Stanek (1-4)

Garcia rebounds from a rough first inning

With most of the offense the night prior belonging to San Diego, the Astros set off on a better foot on Sunday, getting a leadoff ground-rule double by Jose Altuve to get in position for an RBI single by Alex Bregman to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Padres matched that and more in the bottom half against Luis Garcia.

Garcia allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, followed by a one-out single and walk to load the bases. A sac fly brought in one run to tie things up, then a two-out two-RBI double put San Diego in front 3-1. He rebounded nicely from that rough first inning, preventing any more damage into the sixth inning, where he would get two outs and allow a single before Dusty Baker moved on to the bullpen. Garcia's final line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 80 P.

Astros drop the series as Padres get walk-off homer

Down two runs in the top of the seventh, the Astros launched back-to-back jacks by Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa, both solo homers, to tie the game 3-3. Blake Taylor was Houston's next reliever, and with a double play, he was able to face the minimum in the bottom of the seventh.

Kendall Graveman maintained the tie in the bottom of the eighth, erasing a leadoff single for a scoreless inning. In the top of the ninth, Houston had a chance to go back in front, working back-to-back walks to start the inning, but would come away empty after a double play and strikeout. Ryne Stanek entered to try and force extra innings in the bottom of the ninth but instead would watch Jake Cronenworth blast the walk-off solo homer to win it for the Padres, handing the Astros the series loss.

Up Next: With this road trip complete, the Astros return to pick up a series with the Mariners at 6:10 PM Central on Monday. Yusei Kikuchi (7-7, 4.12 ERA) is the slated starter for Seattle, while Lance McCullers Jr. (10-4, 3.20 ERA) will pitch for Houston.

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Jeremy Peña is having success hitting fourth. Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros host the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night looking to keep momentum rolling and hand the Jays their fifth straight loss. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.

Both teams enter the matchup with nearly identical records—Houston at 12-11, Toronto at 12-12—but they’re trending in opposite directions. The Astros have won six of their last ten and boast an 8-6 record at home, while the Blue Jays have dropped four straight and are just 4-7 on the road.

Ryan Gusto gets the start for Houston, entering with a 2-1 record, a 3.18 ERA, and 17 strikeouts across three appearances. He’ll go up against Bowden Francis, who brings a 3.13 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP into the game, along with 20 strikeouts in his four starts.

Jeremy Peña continues to spark the Astros lineup with three homers and three doubles, while catcher Yainer Diaz has added timely hits despite a recent slump. For Toronto, George Springer leads the team with a .333 average, and Bo Bichette has been steady at the plate, going 14-for-45 over his last 10 games.

The Blue Jays have found success when they out-hit opponents, going 10-3 in those games—but Houston’s pitching staff has held opponents to just a 2.86 ERA over the past 10 outings.

The betting line has Toronto as slight road favorites at -120, with Houston at +100 and the over/under set at 8 runs.

Here's a look at tonight's lineup. Cam Smith gets the night off in right field, with Zach Dezenzo filling in. It appears Dezenzo's thumb is fine after banging it up sliding into second base a couple of night's ago.


Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.

Jake Myers is also getting the night off as Chas McCormick gets the start in center. And Mauricio Dubon is getting the nod, starting over Brendan Rodgers at second base.

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