Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/08/2026

Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, August 8, 2026

Venue:  Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +104, Padres -126; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Padres -125; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Padres -125; Over/Under:  8 runs

Houston Astros:  59-57 (1st place, AL West)

San Diego Padres:  60-56 (3rd place, NL West)

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Houston Astros:  7-3 last 10

San Diego Padres:  7-3 last 10

The Astros are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 59-57 record overall and have a road record of 29-28. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Padres on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .738 OPS. Ronel Blanco is their starting pitcher on Friday while Peter Lambert is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-5 with a 3.06 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 8 SO on 3 hits through 5.2 IP against the Texas Rangers.

The Padres are entering this series off a win and split their 4-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 60-56 record overall and have a home record of 32-25. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .696 OPS. Robbie Ray is their starting pitcher on Friday while Michael King is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 6-8 with a 3.45 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts on 5 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Padres have looked good in their games this season with their 60-56 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL West. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 32-25 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Astros have looked good in their games this season with their 59-57 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They have been a good road team too with their 29-28 road record this year. The Padres are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have been really hot over the last 2 weeks, but they just split their last series with the Diamondbacks and are running into another hot team here. The Astros are also 7-3 in their last 10 games and they are going to be motivated to continue rolling since they were well under .500 just weeks ago and now lead their division. Lambert is on the mound for the Astros in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 8-5 with a 3.06 ERA and he has been one of their best starters this year. He is coming off another great start giving up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him and the team has been having a lot of success with him lately, winning 3 games in a row now with him starting. The Padres are going with King in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 6-8 with a 3.45 ERA, but lately he has been giving up more runs and the team has had a lot of trouble with him this season too. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting and he just gave up 3 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him. The Astros have the slight edge with their starter here, but they also have the stronger offense with the Padres having one of the worst in the league. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game. 

Astros Padres Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 8, 2026 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Astros 5 Padres 3.

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Houston Astros: 3-6 (-3.9 units) on the moneyline against NL West opponents. 13-17 (-4.5 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 45-40 (-5.5 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 28-14 UNDER against NL West opponents.

San Diego Padres: 249-202 (+25.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 132-91 (+12.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 181-144 (+21 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 29-18 UNDER against AL West opponents.

Houston Astros:  B. Matthews (CF) Ten Day IL - Knee. M. Burrows (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

San Diego Padres:  M. Andujar (DH) Ten Day IL - Wrist. S. Taylor (LF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. J. Adam (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. D. Morgan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. L. Giolito (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. R. Laureano (LF) Sixty Day IL - Hip. N. Pivetta (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Hoeing (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Musgrove (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“For the most part, our at-bats were good. We put some pressure on those guys, but they deployed the back end of the bullpen, and it’s pretty good.” - Joe Espada after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Wednesday. 

“We've played these guys pretty even all year round. We'll see them again later in the year in a three-game series. Could be the decider of it all.” - Craig Stammen after his team’s win against the Diamondbacks in their game on Thursday.

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Taylor Trammell (L) RF

Christian Walker (R) 1B

LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) LF

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Nick Allen (R) 3B

Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF

Luis Rengifo (S) LF

Manny Machado (R) 3B

Ty France (R) 1B

Jackson Merrill (L) CF

Xander Bogaerts (R) SS

Gavin Sheets (L) DH

Freddy Fermin (R) C

Jake Cronenworth (L) 2B

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.329)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (136)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (35)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (85)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (10)

Wins:  Peter Lambert (8)

Saves:  Josh Hader (15)

ERA:  Josh Hader (1.13)

Batting Average:  Luis Rengifo (.344)

Hits:  Fernando Tatis (125)

Home Runs:  Manny Machado (23)

RBI:  Manny Machado (70)

Stolen Bases:  Fernando Tatis (26)

Wins:  Adrian Morejon (8)

Saves:  Mason Miller (28)

ERA:  Mason Miller (0.74)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)

San Diego Padres: Craig Stammen (1st season)