Jon Garland tossed seven shutout innings and the San Diego Padres secured a 2-1 triumph over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Yorvit Torrealba and Chase Headley each drove in a run to send Houston to its 11th loss in 12 games.
Garland (4-2) won his third straight start in dominant fashion, allowing just two hits and only one walk to lower his ERA to 1.71.
Heath Bell walked Lance Berkman to put the tying run on base in the ninth, but got Carlos Lee to strikeout for his eighth save.
San Diego went ahead 2-0 on Headley’s sacrifice fly that plated Scott Hairston in the sixth inning.
Houston starter Felipe Paulino (0-5) was a tough-luck loser, allowing two runs - one earned - on five hits with 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
Geoff Blum’s pinch-hit single in the eighth for the Astros cut the deficit to one run. Hunter Pence and Jeff Keppinger had the team’s only other hits.
San Diego | Houston | |
Jon Garland | Player | Felipe Paulino |
Win | W/L | Loss |
7.0 | IP | 7.0 |
2 | Strikeouts | 11 |
2 | Hits | 5 |
0.00 | ERA | 1.29 |
San Diego | Houston | |
David Eckstein | Player | Geoff Blum |
2 | Hits | 1 |
0 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 1 |
.500 | Avg | 1.000 |