Cam Smith homered twice, and the Houston Astros spoiled Robbie Ray’s Padres debut with a 6-3 victory Friday at Petco Park.
Houston loaded the bases in the first but came away empty when Daulton Varsho lined out to strand them. The Astros broke through in the second on a Cam Smith solo shot, then took control in the third: Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, and Christian Walker all reached to load the bases again, and this time Walker delivered with a two-run single. Yordan Alvarez added another RBI single in the fourth to make it 4-0.
San Diego clawed back against starter Ronel Blanco. Jackson Merrill tripled home a run in the fourth and scored moments later on a Gavin Sheets grounder, pulling the Padres within two. Fernando Tatis Jr. then went deep in the fifth to make it a one-run game, chasing Blanco after 4⅔ innings, three runs allowed, and three walks issued.
Smith put the game back in Houston’s control in the sixth, taking Padres reliever Yuki Matsui deep for his second homer of the night. Jeremy Peña added an insurance run in the eighth with a double-play grounder that scored Smith from third.
Houston’s bullpen took it from there. Bennett Sousa, AJ Blubaugh, Steven Okert, Bryan Abreu, and Josh Hader shut the door over the final four-plus innings without allowing a run, despite traffic in three separate frames, including a bases-loaded situation Abreu wriggled out of in the seventh. Hader finished it in the ninth, picking up his 16th save without a blown chance this season.
Smith finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs, marking the second time this year he’s homered twice in a game. Paredes chipped in three hits, and Jake Meyers added two of his own.
The win pushed Houston’s record to 60-57, keeping the Astros 1½ games ahead of the second-place Texas Rangers atop the AL West.
Houston continues the series against San Diego on Saturday, with first pitch at 6:15 p.m. Central, when Peter Lambert faces Padres right-hander Michael King.
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