Padres Lose Opening Series to Tigers, 2-1

Not the start anyone wanted. The Padres dropped two of three to the Tigers at Petco Park to open the 2026 season, and the most frustrating part is that the series easily could have gone the other way.

Game 1: Tigers 8, Padres 2

The Padres sent Nick Pivetta out for his first career Opening Day start coming off the best season of his career, 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 2025. The confidence was warranted. The execution was not.

Pivetta coughed up four runs in the first inning on four hits and three walks. He said after the game he felt "disconnected," which is a polite way of saying he came out completely out of sync on the biggest start of his career. The crowd was loud, the energy was there, and Pivetta just could not find it. Meanwhile Skubal was his usual self, six innings, three hits, one unearned run, six strikeouts on 74 pitches. That matchup was never going to be fair, but it did not have to become an 8-2 blowout either.

The one person who looked completely at ease was Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers' 21-year-old rookie who you should go ahead and get familiar with because he is going to be very annoying for a long time. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs in his debut, hitting the first pitch he ever saw in the big leagues for a two-run double in the first inning. Great, cool, thanks for that.

Game 2: Tigers 5, Padres 2

This one still hurts. The Padres played a clean game, bounced back from the opener, and had a 2-1 lead going into the eighth inning. Then the bullpen situation that everyone quietly worried about all spring showed up right on schedule.

Jason Adam, who handled the eighth inning for most of last season, opened the year on the injured list recovering from a ruptured quad tendon. The Padres chose to slow-play his return and keep him on a rehab assignment despite Adam reportedly pushing to be ready for Opening Day. You can understand the reasoning.

So Jeremiah Estrada came in for the eighth and walked the bases loaded before being removed with two outs. Then McGonigle, again, worked a 10-pitch at-bat against Wandy Peralta and singled to right to bring in two runs and put the Tigers ahead for good. Ten pitches. The kid just refused to give in.

The other thing worth examining: the Padres had already decided Mason Miller would not be available for more than three outs that night, meaning there was no option to bring him in early for a five-out save when Estrada started walking everyone. That is a reasonable call to make in game two of a 162-game season. It is also the kind of call that can cost you later. Hopefully it does not.

Kenley Jansen came in for the ninth and struck out the side on 11 pitches for career save number 477 in his Tigers debut. Good for him, genuinely, but also please go away.

Game 3: Padres 3, Tigers 0

Randy Vasquez showed up and refused to let this series end in a sweep, which was the most important thing that happened all weekend. Vasquez and two relievers combined for a two-hitter, Tatis hit an RBI single, and a stolen base led to another run. Vasquez went six innings and punched out eight batters. He was efficient, sharp, and looked like a guy who belongs in a rotation. That is exactly what the Padres need from him this year.

Tatis was solid all series but the offense around him was inconsistent. Something to keep an eye on.

The Takeaway

The Padres are 1-2 and already navigating a bullpen without its best setup man. The Adam situation is understandable but Game 2 is a direct result of it. Stammen needs to figure out his eighth inning options quickly because that is not a problem that goes away on its own. The good news is Vasquez looked sharp on Saturday and the lineup has enough to be dangerous once it settles in. But there is work to do.