San Diego Pulled Closer to Houston's Cushion

The Padres beat the Astros 3-2 on August 8, giving San Diego a direct win against a team still holding cushion on the BaseChaser board.

Jackson Merrill brought in the first run on a force out in the first inning, then homered in the third to put San Diego back in front. The Padres added another run in the fourth after a Houston error.

Michael King gave San Diego 6 innings, allowing 1 earned run with 6 strikeouts. Houston scored once in the ninth, but the Padres held on.

What It Means

The Padres improve to 61-57. The Astros fall to 60-58.

BaseChaser lists San Diego at 43.6% to make the playoffs. Houston remains ahead at 65.0%.

Houston still has cushion, but San Diego cut into it directly. The Padres are still chasing, and this win pulled them closer to the middle of the race.

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