SAN DIEGO -- The electricity was palpable at Petco Park on Opening Day for the San Diego Padres — but it didn’t last long.
The Padres were overwhelmed early by the top of the Detroit Tigers lineup, while their offense remained quiet in an 8-2 loss to open the season 0-1.
Thursday marked the first game of Craig Stammen’s tenure as manager, and it unraveled quickly.
“Humbling, I guess,” Stammen said. “Hope it goes well, but got off to a bad start, just the game of baseball. It was a lot of fun for me to be in the dugout and lead the guys and hopefully get back after it tomorrow.”
Right-hander Nick Pivetta endured a rough first inning, allowing four earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three. After striking out Kerry Carpenter to begin the game, Pivetta gave up a single to Gleyber Torres and walked Riley Greene to load the bases. He then walked Spencer Torkelson to force in the first run.
“Disconnected, out of rhythm, didn't make pitches when I needed to,” Pivetta said. “Kind of let it snowball me. Just wasn't able to make the adjustments today.”
Detroit kept pouring it on. Tigers stud third baseman Kevin McGonigle delivered a two-run double to make it 3-0, and Dillon Dingler followed with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead. Pivetta recovered to strike out Parker Meadows and Javier Báez to end the inning.
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Mar 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) celebrates after hitting a double during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
The Padres offense offered little response.
In the third inning, the Tigers struck again. Torkelson and McGonigle reached base, and after a Dingler strikeout, Meadows lined a two-run single to left field to extend the lead to 6-0. Báez struck out and Carpenter flew out to end the inning.
Pivetta’s day ended after three innings. He allowed six runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts — a tough start for the Padres’ 2025 ace.
The deficit grew in the fifth inning when reliever Ron Marinaccio surrendered a two-run home run to Dingler, pushing the score to 8-0 and drawing boos from the Petco Park crowd.
Meanwhile, Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal dominated. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six.
“He's coming aggressive, and he's the best of the game,” Padres outfielder Ramón Laureano said. “If he's gonna beat you, he's gonna beat you with the best thing he has.”
The Padres finally got on the board in the sixth inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. reached on a throwing error by Báez, and Xander Bogaerts followed with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 8-1.
In the seventh, Laureano added a solo home run off reliever Drew Anderson — his first of the season — to make it 8-2.
David Frerker-Imagn Images
Mar 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Ramon Laureano (5) celebrates with third base coach Bob Henley (20) after hitting a one run home run during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park.
That was all the offense San Diego could muster.
“He (Skubal) proved who he was, and we snuck one in there at the end against him,” Stammen said. “We battled the entire time, proud of our hitters. Just didn't go our way today.”
The Padres finished with five hits, while McGonigle recorded four hits and three RBIs on his own — a telling difference.
It wasn’t the start Stammen or the Padres envisioned, but with 161 games remaining, there’s plenty of time to respond.