Dylan Cease pitched brilliantly through eight innings for the Padres, who beat the Astros 4-0 Wednesday to take the series from the division leaders.
Cease (14-11), who threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 at Washington, took a one-hitter into the ninth before Mauricio Dubón beat out an infield single to short.
He struck out Jake Meyers but shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Jose Altuve’s grounder for an error that allowed Dubón to take third. That was it for the right-hander after 103 pitches; Tanner Scott came to record a two-out save.
Cease retired the first 15 Astros batters before allowing a single to right by Jason Heyward to open the sixth. Cease then retired the side.
He struck out five and walked none – “He was in control the whole way,” manager Mike Shildt said. Tanner Scott got two outs for his 21st save.
The offense also gave the Petco Park crowd a thrill in the eighth when Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Donovan Solano hit consecutive homers.
Machado homered twice for the Padres, who won two of three against the Astros and stayed two games ahead of Arizona for the first National League wild card and 3.5 games behind the division-leading Dodgers.
The Astros came in with a five-game division lead over Seattle in the American League West.
Machado, who has 29 homers, lined a shot to left-center off Framber Valdez to open the sixth.
Tatis, who struck out in his first three at-bats, hit reliever Kaleb Ort’s first pitch into the first row in left-center in the eighth for his 19th homer. Machado followed with a shot deep into the seats in left and Solano hit a liner to left, for his seventh on the year.
Ort left after just nine pitches.
Meanwhile, Luis Arraez got the day off to rest his sore left knee, which he jammed into home plate while being thrown out Monday.
The Padres begin their final home series of the year Friday, welcoming the woebegone Chicago White Sox, losers of 117 games on the year. The Friar starters for the series are TBD.