Padres fall to Astros in 10 innings, lose no ground to Dodgers, D-backs, Braves in playoff race

The Padres had all kinds of help through the National League on Tuesday.

They just needed a bit more than Manny Machado’s dramatics.

The Padres’ all-time home run leader launched a game-tying home run in the sixth inning after plate umpire Brennan Miller insisted he swing the bat, but the Padres needed more than one big swing if they were going to avoid a 4-3 loss in 10 innings to the Houston Astros, snapping a four-game winning streak.

But all was not lost, even after Kyle Tucker singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th off Adrián Morejón and Hector Neris got a game-ending grounder from Machado to leave the bases loaded.

Because even before a sellout crowd of 44,553 celebrated Machado’s record-breaking homer, seven strong innings from Michael King, ex-Padre Josh Hader blowing the Astros’ lead in the eighth and a shoeless Jose Altuve’s ejection, the videoboard showed plenty to cheer beyond Petco Park.

There was the Reds’ comeback win over the Braves in Cincinnati, the Dodgers’ loss in Miami and the Diamondbacks’ loss in Colorado.

The latter result shaved the Padres’ magic number to make the playoffs to six with 10 games left in the season. They remain 2 1/2 games ahead of the Diamondbacks for the National League’s first wild-card spot.

The Padres still nearly helped themselves anyway. Trailing 4-3 in the 10th, Elias Diaz walked. Automatic runner Tyler Wade moved to third on a wild pitch before the free pass, but Luis Arraez bounced into a fielder’s choice, Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out and, after Jurickson Profar was hit by a pitch, Machado sent a rocket up the middle … and right to second baseman Grae Kissinger to end the game.

The Padres had little to show off Astros right-hander Hunter Brown when Tatis singled to start the sixth inning in a 2-0 game.

Tatis swiped second after Jurickson Profar flied out to left and Machado was more than willing to take the open base when Brown missed the zone with his first three pitches.

The fourth missed, too, and Machado dropped his bat and started up the first-base line only to have Miller call a strike.

The scene played out again on the ensuing fastball, an offering that might have nicked the top of the zone.

Machado fouled off a sinker before turning on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, a hanging knuckle curve, and yanking it out to left to tie the game at 2-2.

This time, Machado carried his bat a few steps up the line before tossing it toward the dugout, pounding his chest and beckoning his teammates to “let’s (expletive) go.”

The blast also set a new Padres’ record for home runs at home at 102, breaking the record set by the 2019 team.

After wiggling out of a first-inning jam, King had retired nine in a row when Kyle Tucker singled to start the fourth inning. Alex Bregman added a one-out single and Jon Singleton dropped a 69 mph pop fly between Machado and Profar along the third-base foul line to plate the game’s first run.

The second scored on Jeremy Peña’s ensuing groundball to second.

King went on to retire 11 of the final 12 hitters he faced to complete seven innings for the first time since July 21. He struck out seven, walked just one and allowed five hits in throwing 61 of his 87 pitches for strikes.

After King’s exit from a 2-2 game, Adam struck out Jose Altuve to start the eighth only to have Yordan Alvarez’s ensuing double start an odd go-ahead rally.

Adam balked him to third and ultimately intentionally walked Kyle Tucker to set up a double-play ball. But he got a second strikeout from a swinging Yainer Diaz was looking for another when a 3-2 slider bounced away from Diaz, allowing Alvarez to score.