Tatis Powers Padres Past Astros 3–2, Avoids Sweep in Scary Night for Arraez

[Dylan Gardner]

Fernando Tatis Jr. carried the San Diego Padres on Sunday night, scoring all three of the team’s runs—including a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh—as San Diego edged the Houston Astros 3–2 to avoid a sweep at Daikin Park.

HOUSTON — Fernando Tatis Jr. carried the San Diego Padres on Sunday night, scoring all three of the team’s runs—including a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh—as San Diego edged the Houston Astros 3–2 to avoid a sweep at Daikin Park.

Tatis broke a 2–2 tie with a towering 427-foot home run to straightaway center on the first pitch he saw from Tayler Scott (1–2) in the top of the seventh. It was his eighth long ball of the season.

The Padres’ star outfielder scored in all three of his trips across the plate. He reached on an error by Mauricio Dubón in the first and came around to score, then opened the third with a triple and crossed home on Gavin Sheets’ RBI single.

The Astros rallied to tie the game in the fifth, with Dubón redeeming himself by driving in a run on a single. Yordan Alvarez followed with a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 2–2.

San Diego starter Dylan Cease worked five innings, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Alek Jacob (1–0) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Robert Suarez slammed the door in the ninth for his second save.

Houston's Framber Valdez was sharp but took a no-decision, giving up two runs on seven hits over six innings.

The game was overshadowed by a frightening scene in the first inning, when Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez collided face-first with Dubón during a close play at first base. Arraez remained motionless in foul territory for several minutes before being carted off the field on a backboard and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Trainers from both teams attended to him as silence fell over the stadium.

Key Moment: With the tying run on second in the eighth, Padres reliever Jason Adam struck out Victor Caratini to end Houston’s final serious threat.

Key Stat: Fernando Tatis Jr. scored all three of San Diego’s runs—via an error, a triple, and a home run—showcasing his all-around impact.

Fun Fact: The San Diego Padres' bullpen has gone 12 consecutive games without giving up more than one run. This proved valuable in keeping the game within reach for the Padres to win key close games, despite injuries to their key players, such as Luis Arraez and Jackson Merrill.

 

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