Mon Apr 21 02:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Astros Aim for Sweep Against Padres in Sunday Night Showdown

**Houston, TX** – The Houston Astros look to complete a three-game sweep against the San Diego Padres in a Sunday Night Baseball matchup. The Astros currently hold a 2-0 series lead after wins on Friday (6-4) and Saturday (3-2). Despite the Padres leading the NL West at 15-6, their road record sits at a less impressive 3-5. The Astros, fourth in the AL West at 10-10, boast a 6-5 home record.

SportsLine’s projection model, riding an 8-3 run on MLB money-line picks, favors the Astros (-118 moneyline) for the final game. The model predicts a relatively low-scoring affair, with the over/under set at 7.5 runs. This prediction aligns with the teams’ recent history, with four of their last five meetings resulting in seven or fewer combined runs.

The pitching matchup features Houston’s Framber Valdez (1-2, 4.91 ERA) against San Diego’s Dylan Cease (1-1, 6.64 ERA). While Valdez has shown inconsistency, he delivered a strong performance in his last outing. Cease, a 14-game winner last year, has struggled slightly early in the season. Despite this, the model projects a combined 16 hits allowed by both pitching staffs.

Offensively, the model highlights several key players with high chances of driving in runs, including Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. for the Padres, and Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith, and Yainer Diaz for the Astros. The model predicts a total of 7.9 runs, leaning towards the under.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET at Daikin Park in Houston.

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