Padres On Deck Al West Leading Astros In Town To Start Final Homestand

# Padres on deck: AL West-leading Astros in town to start final homestand ## San Diego hopes to make a statement against one of MLB's best teams ### Padres enter series with a chance to gain ground in the Wild Card race The San Diego Padres will open their final homestand of the regular season on Monday when they welcome the AL West-leading Houston Astros to Petco Park. The Padres are currently 7.5 games behind the Astros in the Wild Card race, but they have a chance to make up some ground in this three-game series. The Padres are coming off a tough 2-4 road trip against the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. They are now 79-63 on the season, which is good for third place in the NL West. The Astros, meanwhile, are 87-55 on the season and have already clinched a playoff berth. The Astros are one of the best teams in the MLB, but the Padres have a good chance to win this series if they can play well at home. The Padres are 45-26 at Petco Park this season, and they have won six of their last seven games there. The Padres will need their pitching staff to step up in this series. The Astros have one of the most potent offenses in the MLB, so the Padres will need to keep them in check. The Padres will also need their offense to produce, as they will need to score runs to win games. The Padres have a tough task ahead of them, but they have a chance to make a statement against one of the best teams in the MLB. If they can win this series, they will be in a good position to make a run at a Wild Card berth. ### Probable Pitchers **Monday, September 19:** Lance McCullers Jr. (15-5, 3.16 ERA) vs. Blake Snell (8-9, 4.04 ERA) **Tuesday, September 20:** Luis Garcia (14-8, 3.42 ERA) vs. Mike Clevinger (7-7, 4.18 ERA) **Wednesday, September 21:** Cristian Javier (11-9, 3.12 ERA) vs. Yu Darvish (16-7, 3.07 ERA)