Padres drop another tight one to Astros

HOUSTON (KYMA, KECY) - The Padres came into Saturday night looking to bounce back after a tough one-run loss on Friday.

But, walks haunted San Diego's pitching staff again, this time opening the door for the Astros to rally for a 3-2 win at Daikin Park. It's the second straight close loss in Houston, and just the second time this season the Friars have dropped back-to-back games.

Michael King looked sharp early, riding the momentum from his first career shutout last weekend. He carried a shutout into the sixth inning, but a walk to Isaac Paredes flipped the momentum. After recording two outs, King gave up a two-run blast to Christian Walker that tied the game.

An inning later, it was Jeremiah Estrada, dominant all season long, who issued a leadoff free pass to former Padres catcher Victor Caratini. And again, it came back to bite.

Paredes floated a soft single into shallow center that rookie Tirso Ornelas couldn't get to in time, allowing Caratini to cross home with what turned out to be the winning run.

Fernando Tatis Jr. provided the early spark with a solo homer, and Manny Machado added an RBI double in the third inning to make it 2-0. But the offense stalled from there, and the bullpen couldn't hold the lead.

The Padres will try to salvage the series Sunday night with Dylan Cease getting the start against Houston ace Framber Valdez.