Tigers Defeat Padres in Season Opener

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

March 26, 2026

Tigers 8, Padres 2

The San Diego Padres welcomed 1984 World Series rival Detroit Tigers to an Opening Day matchup at Petco Park. Nick Pivetta and Tarik Skubal were the starters for the Padres and Tigers, respectively.

The Tigers struck early against a struggling Pivetta this afternoon, putting up four runs to start the game. The Padres fought back not long after, putting a few men on base, but failed to cash in on any runners.

Pivetta allowed two more runs in the third, which led to an early, unceremonious exit. Ron Marinaccio took the mound in the fourth and fifth, but not without giving up a two-run homer to catcher Dillon Dingler, which put the Tigers at eight runs, their final count.

The Padres would not score until the sixth inning thanks to an RBI double from Xander Bogaerts. Ramon Laureano also hit a single-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

The Padres had their final chance to come back in the bottom of the eighth. With bases loaded, Nick Castellanos was called in to pinch hit for Gavin Sheets. On a 1–1 count with two outs, Castellanos drilled a ball at 99.5 mph to center that flew into the glove of Parker Meadows.

What Went Right For The Padres

Xander Bogaerts

Bogaerts had a pretty good spring training this year, slashing .286/.355/.464. This is despite his time being lost to the World Baseball Classic. So far, he looks to continue this momentum into the 2026 regular season. He managed to score one of the two runs for the Padres and put himself in scoring position multiple times. Going against a juggernaut like Skubal isn’t easy for anyone in the majors, but Thursday felt like routine for Bogey, which is a massive green flag.

What Went Wrong For The Padres

Lineup Woes

Craig Stammen toploaded the lineup with righties to face lefty Tarik Skubal. An expected move given that any advantage against a Cy Young caliber pitcher is necessary to win. However, what was not as expected was Fernando Tatis Jr. to bat in the leadoff spot again. Former manager Mike Shildt encountered much criticism over how he handled the lineup, and things for Stammen may be no different.

The idea was likely to try to get Skubal to slip early. His habits of leaving balls in the middle of the zone, especially on the first pitch, have bitten him before. Out of anyone, Tatis is the ideal person to take the shot. In any case, his first pitch today was a ball outside.

Stammen talked much about the starting nine during spring training and often stuck Bogaerts at leadoff. In any case, Thursday’s numbers spoke for themselves.

Tatis went 1-for-4, reaching base on a throwing error from shortstop Javier Baez and from a line drive to center field.

Bogaerts went 2-for-4 and knocked in a run.

Meanwhile, left-hander Jackson Merrill did not see a single favorable matchup in the fourth hole for the entire duration of the game, going 0-for-4.

Nick Pivetta

A clearly nerve-ridden Pivetta couldn’t control the ball reliably enough to throw in the strike zone. Instances like this have happened before, especially in high-stakes games. For many athletes, it’s clear that emotions always have an impact on games like these; Pivetta is no exception.

Even once Pivetta got into his arsenal, the Tigers caught on rather quickly, letting everything go until they could catch something more advantageous. When that wasn’t an option, simply taking a walk was seemingly always on the table.

What Went Right For The Tigers

Tarik Skubal

Tarik Skubal came in as hot as any pitcher can on Opening Day. Fresh off a dominant performance in the World Baseball Classic, Skubal proved why he gets his flowers so consistently.

Skubal went six innings, only allowing three hits and a run that was unearned. His performance emboldened the Tigers to strike the iron while it was hot. In particular, Tigers Rookie Kevin McGongie had four hits as he made his major league debut in this game, the second Tiger to ever do so and 25th in Major League Baseball history.

What Went Wrong For The Tigers

Almost Let Things Go Late

The Tigers did not score again after the fifth inning, leaving the Padres a lot of time to try to catch up. For a few small moments, it certainly looked like they could.

The aforementioned bases-loaded incident certainly could have changed the tide of the game, or at the very least made things much closer than they were. Like any team, the Padres work well off momentum, and if the Tigers had allowed them to ramp up, we may have seen a very different ballgame play out. Fortunately, for the Motown Heroes, things turned out okay in the end.

Looking Ahead

The Padres and Tigers will continue their three-game series into the weekend. For Friday’s game, Framber Valdez and Michael King are the probable pitchers for the Tigers and Padres, respectively. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm Pacific at Petco Park.