Cam Smith homers twice as Astros beat newcomer Robbie Ray, Padres 6-3

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Cam Smith homered twice and the AL West-leading Houston Astros spoiled Robbie Ray's San Diego debut by beating the Padres 6-3 on Friday night for their eighth win in 10 games.

The Padres dropped two games behind the third NL wild-card spot.

Smith connected to left off Ray with one out in the second and off Yuki Matsui leading off the sixth, also to left. He has 15 home runs this season. It was the fourth career multi-homer game for Smith, who had three hits. He also hit two homers against San Diego on April 18, 2025, in Houston in his 15th career game.

Christian Walker hit a two-run single in the third and Yordan Alvarez an RBI single in the fourth to give the Astros a 4-0 lead.

Ray (10-7) was obtained at the trade deadline on Monday from the San Francisco Giants. In his previous start, he beat the Padres 4-1 at Petco Park on July 30.

Ray recorded outs on each of his first two pitches but then loaded the bases on a double and consecutive walks. He then got Daulton Varsho to line out to center.

The left-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings, walked five and struck out two.

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered, his 10th this season, to left with two outs in the fifth to pull the Padres to 4-3 and chase starter Ronel Blanco. With his 162nd career shot, Tatis passed Adrian Gonzalez for sole possession of third place on the Padres' all-time list. He needs two more to pass Nate Colbert for second.

Jackson Merrill hit an RBI triple in the fourth for the Padres and scored on a double play.

The Padres loaded the bases with two outs against two relievers in the seventh before Bryan Abreu (4-3) got Luis Rengifo to ground out.

Blanco pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs and four hits, with three walks and one strikeout in his fifth start since returning from right elbow surgery in June 2025.

Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

Astros RHP Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.06 ERA) and Padres RHP Michael King (6-8, 3.45) are scheduled to start Saturday night.

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San Diego Padres pitcher Yuki Matsui pitches against a Houston Astros batter during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. watches his single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Cam Smith watches his single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Cam Smith watches his single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia sent airplanes and hundreds of firefighters on Sunday to fight a blaze in a popular national park, one of a growing number of wildfires the country is battling during an unusually dry season.

The largest fire reported this week has burned about 176 hectares (435 acres) of Mount Bromo, located within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province, one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations.

Authorities closed the park to visitors Saturday and Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, the park chief, said the shutdown would remain in effect until further notice.

Hundreds of firefighters, disaster management personnel, police, soldiers, park rangers and volunteers have been mobilized to contain the blaze. Helicopters and drones have also been deployed to help battle the fire, while crews have built firebreaks to try to prevent further spread.

Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land.

The Bromo fire comes as several other wildfires have been reported across Indonesia during an unusually dry season.

A forest and land fire broke out in Central Java’s Banyumas Regency on Friday, authorities said. That fire was triggered by land-clearing activities and spread rapidly to surrounding areas, fueled by dry conditions. In West Java, a fire broke out this week in the Suryakencana Meadow area of Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, a popular hiking destination. The incident prompted authorities to temporarily close hiking trails to Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango.

Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency said strong winds and extremely dry vegetation are accelerating the spread of fires. The El Niño weather pattern, combined with seasonal dry winds from Australia, has increased the risk of fires across parts of the country.

Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands often break out during dry spells. Fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting, and those burns periodically blanket parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze.

In this photo released by the East Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire that razes through Mount Bromo National Park in Probolinggo, Indonesia on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (East Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency via AP)