Astros vs Padres

Jackson Merrill Powers Petco Park While Mason Miller Survives a Ninth-Inning Scratch

• The Headline: Jackson Merrill goes deep to sink Houston, and the Padres hold on for a tense 3-2 victory despite a shaky ninth-inning close.

• The Recap:

  Saturday night at Petco Park proved that you don’t need a double-digit offensive explosion to have a wildly entertaining ballgame. The Padres leaned on a mix of small ball, a clutch blast, and some self-inflicted Astros misery to pull off a 3-2 win.

  San Diego drew first blood in the weirdest way possible via a bizarre fielder’s choice bloop, only to watch Houston’s Taylor Trammell answer right back with a majestic 409-foot tank. But the real dagger came off the bat of Jackson Merrill, who uncorked a 421-foot rocket to center field in the third to break a 1-1 tie.

  Michael King turned in a stellar six-inning gem, and the Padres padded their lead when a routine grounder turned into an adventurous Houston error. Enter the ninth inning, where closer Mason Miller decided to test everyone’s blood pressure by giving up an RBI single to Yainer Diaz. Fortunately, Miller slammed the door shut just in time, keeping San Diego right on the doorstep of the NL Wild Card race.