The Houston Astros defeated the San Diego Padres 6-4 on Friday night thanks to rookie Cam Smith’s career-high four RBIs and home runs in his first two at-bats.
In the second inning, Smith hit a three-run homer off Kyle Hart (2-1) to put the Astros up, then in the fourth inning, he added a single drive off the southpaw to make it 5-2.
In the seventh inning, Luis Arraez of San Diego, who had three hits, blasted a two-run homer off a high fastball from Bryan King into the first row in right field, cutting the advantage to 5-4. With three hits, including a run-scoring single in the seventh to provide some insurance, Jake Meyers tied the Astros’ season high.
In five innings, Houston starter Ryan Gusto (2-1) allowed two runs and nine hits. Josh Hader recorded his fifth save by pitching a spotless ninth.
With runners in scoring position, the Padres had a 2/10 record. Smith hit his first home run into the left field seats to make it 3-1 in the second inning, with two on and two outs and a 1 run deficit for the Astros. In the third, Yainer Diaz’s RBI single increased the margin to 4-1.