Apr 19, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Tyler Wade (14) fields Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (not pictured) RBI single in the seventh inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Houston, Texas – Leadoff walks are the bane of every pitching coach’s existence — and on Saturday night, they came back to haunt the San Diego Padres.
In a tightly contested 3-2 loss to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, leadoff walks in the sixth and seventh innings turned a promising night into a frustrating defeat, handing the Padres just their second losing streak of the season.
Starter Michael King, fresh off a dominant shutout performance against the Rockies, was in control early, carrying a 2-0 lead into the sixth. That cushion came courtesy of a towering solo homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the third and an RBI double from Manny Machado that drove in Tatis again in the fifth.
But with one bad pitch and one leadoff walk, momentum vanished.
King issued a free pass to Isaac Paredes to start the sixth — a mistake that would prove costly. After recording two outs, he left a breaking ball hanging over the plate, and Christian Walker made him pay, launching a game-tying two-run homer to left.
“Just hung a breaking ball,” King admitted after the game. “I’ll sit on that for the next five days.”
An inning later, one of baseball’s most reliable relievers met a similar fate. Jeremiah Estrada, who entered the game with a sub-1.00 ERA, walked former Padres catcher Victor Caratini to open the seventh. After a broken-bat single and a near-escape, Paredes delivered the final blow — a bloop RBI single that fell between second baseman Tyler Wade and center fielder Tirso Ornelas, giving Houston the lead for good.
The ninth inning offered a glimmer of hope. Jose Iglesias doubled to lead off against Astros closer Josh Hader, but the rally fizzled out as Xander Bogaerts, Elias Díaz, and Yuli Gurriel failed to bring him home.
Still, the Padres remain atop the league standings at 15-6, thanks in part to the Dodgers’ loss on Saturday. But cracks are beginning to show.
The Padres’ lineup is becoming increasingly patchwork. Saturday saw the team without Jason Heyward, who was placed on the injured list with a knee issue, joining Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth on the shelf. Half of the opening-day lineup was unavailable, leaving a mix of stars and spring training invitees to carry the load.
Despite the adversity, manager Mike Shildt remains confident.
“We’ve got a very capable club, and we’ve been playing very good baseball,” Shildt said. “Tonight was a good baseball game. Tight. A couple things on the margins cost us, but we’ll keep playing the right way and give ourselves the best chance to shake hands.”
They didn’t get that handshake Saturday night, but they’ll get another shot Sunday when Dylan Cease takes the mound against Framber Valdez as the Padres try to avoid a sweep and reclaim momentum.
As Tatis put it: “We need to keep showing up. It doesn’t matter what. We’ve got real dudes in here to make [stuff] happen.”
