The Padres might not have a postseason appearance in the cards for them this season, but they certainly had an opportunity to help out the Rangers and Mariners in the AL West with a big game against the Astros. As Blake Snell took the mound, he performed nicely and kept the Houston offense to a minimum while San Diego made things happen with the bats. By the time Snell was taken out of the game, the Padres were already ahead 6-2 and would make sure to keep their foot on the gas. By the time things were all said and done, the squad had put up 11 runs and secured a promising 11-2 win which slimmed the Astro’s AL West lead to just 0.5 games.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Snell continues the push for NL Cy Young

Blake Snell was all business in his start against the Astros. With just 6 more series to go in the regular season, he is well aware that his stuff will need to be at its best for him to close out what has been a dominant 2023 campaign. While Snell’s start began by allowing a run on a Yordan Alvarez RBI single in the first, he bounced back nicely and had the Astros struggling. Through 6 innings, he racked up 8 strikeouts and allowed just 2 ER while securing win number 13 on the season.

Snell’s off-speed pitches were on point as he had the Houston batting order second-guessing themselves all night long. With an ERA of 2.52 and a WAR of 4.6, he leads the National League in both categories and has been an example of excellence all season long. Fans will be very pleased with the performance as Snell showed out against a competitive team and helped to tighten up their playoff race.

Padre bullpen shuts the door on Houston

After Blake Snell was pulled from the game at the end of the sixth inning (103 pitches), it was up to the San Diego bullpen to get through the final three innings and lock down a win to open the series. Scott Barlow was the first one out of the bullpen, and he took care of the seventh inning with ease. Ever since his trade to the Padres, it seems as if he has seen a resurgence and been able to adjust his play in a fashion that has helped him to improve quite a bit. In his time with San Diego, he has allowed just 5 ER through 18.2 innings pitched, which brings his Padre ERA to 3.64. Compared to his season-long ERA which stands at 4.78, this comes as proof of his progress and will give the team some serious optimism about his ability to be a solid piece in the bullpen going forward.

Ray Kerr was the next man into the game, who was able to pitch innings eight and nine while allowing just 1 hit and 0 ER. Kerr has only seen limited innings this season (18.1) but made sure to do his job in a big spot when he was called upon. He shut the door on the Astros, and his 2-inning appearance perhaps helped to save another bullpen arm for the rest of the series. Overall, it was a good day for the San Diego bullpen, and they made sure that a blowout win stayed as just that without any complications.

Grisham continues good month big offensive game

The months of July and August were certainly ones to forget for Trent Grisham. The San Diego outfielder hit at a mere .200 mark in July and got worse in August as he hit just .156. It has been an overall down year for Grisham, who came off a 2022 season in which he ended up hitting just .184. Despite the struggles, he has gotten off to a much better month of September and is on pace to close the season with much better numbers and a reason for optimism going forward. In Friday’s game, Grisham made his presence felt with a 2-4 night. He knocked in a run in the second inning with an RBI single that gave the Padres their first lead of the game and also hit a 3-run home run in the eighth inning to make it 11-2.

So far, his September statistics show him hitting .313 including 6 RBI and a home run. The Padres can only be appreciative of his ability to remain healthy all season long and keep putting his best foot forward despite the rough season. He has been a regular name in the clubhouse since 2021, and Padre fans are certainly hoping for him to bounce back next season and give the team another weapon in the lineup.

Game 2 of the series will take place on Saturday afternoon, as Seth Lugo will take on Houston starter Christian Javier. The Padres will look to take their second in a row to open the series and give themselves a chance at a 3-game sweep.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. PT.