In the middle game of a three-game tilt in Space City, the Padres let up a late run to lose a one-run game by a 3-2 final score.

Michael King started for San Diego, fresh off a complete game shutout versus Colorado, while Hayden Wesneski started for Houston. With both pitchers leaning heavily on their sweepers, the pitcher’s duel was something of a sweep-off.

San Diego’s starting lineup was without Xander Bogaerts, who was getting a scheduled rest day. Jason Heyward was placed on the 10-day injured list with knee soreness before the game, which resulted in the first big league callup for outfielder Tirso Ornelas. Per SDUT’s Kevin Acee, Ornelas was supposed to be up in time to be in the starting lineup, but delays and cancellations in his flight from El Paso to Houston delayed his arrival in the majors.

Fernando Tatis Jr gave the Padres an early lead with a solo home run in the third inning, pulling a hanging sweeper over the Crawford Boxes in left field. Tatis certainly sent the ball into orbit, hitting his homer at 105 mph off the bat, landing it 402 feet away. It was his seventh home run of the season, and with a stolen base later in the game, Tatis became the first player in the majors with said combination of homers and steals alike (7). The stolen base came in the fifth inning with Manny Machado at the plate. Machado promptly capitalized, sending a Wesneski fastball to right field, doubling off the wall to score Tatis.

FERNANDO TATIS JR TO THE TRAIN TRACKS ?

?: FS1 pic.twitter.com/IvDHErflzd

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 19, 2025

Michael King tossed 5.2 innings against the Astros, allowing four hits and two earned runs. His performance, at least to the eye, was much more dominant than it appears on the statline. King was through five shutout innings before allowing a leadoff walk in the sixth inning. The Padres’ starter was nearly out of the jam, but faced Christian Walker with two outs. Walker was 1-for-6 with a single against King in 2024 with Arizona, but the past did not matter, as on King’s 90th pitch of the night, Walker lined a two-run home run to the Crawford Boxes in left field on a misplaced sweeper. Walker’s home run broke a 15.2 inning scoreless streak for King, but also tied the game at two runs apiece.

Tirso Ornelas took his first plate appearance of his MLB career in the seventh inning, flying out to left field against Astros reliever (and former Padre) Tayler Scott.

In relief of Michael King, Jeremiah Estrada walked former Padre Victor Caratini to lead off the seventh inning. Fresh off a two-homer day off Kyle Hart, Cam Smith lined a broken-bat single to move Caratini to second. Estrada retired Jose Altuve on a sharp fly ball, bringing up Isaac Paredes. Paredes fought to an eight-pitch at-bat, blooping a 98.5 mph fastball to center field, just past the reach of second baseman Tyler Wade, scoring Caratini and giving Houston a 3-2 lead.

San Diego’s bats failed to capitalize on a leadoff walk from Luis Arraez in the eighth against Bryan Abreu, who retired the next three batters. Adrian Morejon had a scoreless eighth inning, setting up the Padres to face Josh Hader, needing one run to tie.

Jose Iglesias got a double off Hader to lead off the inning, putting the tying run on base. Xander Bogaerts was called on to pinch-hit, and with Hader pitching him inside, Bogaerts lined a slider to left field that carried on and on, only for Yordan Alvarez to catch it a few feet short of the wall. Elias Diaz flared a blooper in the direction of right field, seemingly ticketed for grass… only to be caught by Christian Walker for the second out. Mike Shildt sent Yuli Gurriel to pinch-hit for Tirso Ornelas, and Gurriel flared an inside sinker to right field, where Cam Smith caught it for the final out.

It was a game of small things, a game of inches, where the Padres came up short.

Mike Shildt on Michael King’s outing, Tirso Ornelas’ debut and what he brings to the Padres: pic.twitter.com/y0as8tvWzn

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) April 20, 2025

The Padres return to play on Sunday Night Baseball, with Dylan Cease starting for San Diego against Houston’s Framber Valdez.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.