The Houston Astros are set to battle the San Diego Padres on September 18, 2024, at PETCO Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM under partially cloudy skies.

Framber Valdez will take the mound for the Astros, sporting a commendable ERA of 2.914. Opposing him will be Dylan Cease for the Padres, who enters the matchup with an ERA of 3.580.

Currently, the Houston Astros are 4th in the 2024 AL West Division with an 82-69 record, reflecting a .540 winning percentage. They are first in divisional play with a 25-20 record, showing strong performances in their last 10 games with 6 wins and maintaining a W1 streak. The Astros have shown resilience both at home (42-32) and on the road (40-37), with a particular strength in night games where they’ve secured 54 victories.

The Padres, holding the 4th spot in the NL West, carry an 86-66 record for a .565 winning percentage and are second in their division with a 24-22 record. They’ve also won 6 of their last 10 games but are coming off a recent loss. With a balanced performance at home (41-36) and excellent results on the road (45-30), the Padres excel during night games with 52 wins against 34 during the day.

Betting Odds: The current odds favor a tightly contested matchup. The Over/Under is set at 7.0, reflecting expectations of a moderate scoring game. The Astros are slight underdogs with a Money Line of -111, and the Padres are closely matched at -107. A Point Spread of 1.5 suggests a close game, tipping marginally in favor of the Padres.