Padres stymie Tigers for first win of season

Randy Vasquez fired six shutout innings Saturday night as the San Diego Padres avoided a season-opening, three-game sweep at the visiting Detroit Tigers' hands with a 3-0 victory.

Vasquez allowed just two hits, both to third baseman Cole Keith, while walking three and striking out eight, one shy of his career high. Kyle Hart followed with two perfect innings and Mason Miller worked the ninth to earn the save. It was the first win for Craig Stammen, San Diego's first-year manager.

Jack Flaherty absorbed the loss, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) over 4 1/3 innings. Flaherty walked four and whiffed two.

The Padres got the only runs they needed in the bottom of the third. Flaherty mowed down the first eight guys he faced before allowing three straight two-out hits to Freddy Fermin, Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr., with Tatis' hit scoring Fermin.

The second run scored when second baseman Gleyber Torres' fielding error on Tatis' steal of second enabled Cronenworth to score.

That was enough for Vasquez, who was only threatened twice. Detroit got men to second and third in the first after Torres walked and Keith doubled but Riley Greene's grounder to Cronenworth at second forced Torres at the plate. Spencer Torkelson looked at a third strike to end the inning.

In the sixth, Keith singled with two outs and Greene drew a walk. But with Hart warming up in the bullpen, Vasquez escaped when Torkelson's hard shot to third became a forceout on Manny Machado's terrific play.

San Diego got its final run in the fifth via Flaherty's loss of control. He issued one-out walks to Cronenworth, Tatis and Machado, forcing manager A.J. Hinch to bring in Brant Hurter out of the bullpen. Jackson Merrill's fielder's choice grounder scored Cronenworth.

Ramon Laureano collected three of the Padres' seven hits, while Cronenworth went 1 for 3 with two runs in his first game as the team's leadoff hitter since 2023.