The highly regarded San Diego Padres bullpen failed to live up to expectations when the Padres faced the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on Friday. Jeremiah Estrada entered the top of the eighth inning with San Diego clinging to a 2-1 lead. He was unable to protect the one-run margin, instead he allowed three walks and a single, while recording two outs before manager Craig Stammen replaced him on the mound with the game tied, 2-2.
Wandy Peralta needed just one out to keep the game deadlocked with the Padres coming to the plate in the bottom of the inning. However, Peralta allowed a two-out, two-run double to rookie Kevin McGonigle, who was playing in just his second MLB game. Peralta then allowed a single to Dillon Dingler before finally recording the third out of the inning on a pop out by Matt Vierling, but the damage was done and San Diego dropped its second game of the season to Detroit by the score of 5-2.
Michael King started the game for the Padres and allowed just one run on one hit with four walks allowed and six strikeouts. King left the game with a runner on and a 1-0 lead. Adrian Morejon came in for King and allowed just one hit, but that led to a run for the Tigers which tied the game 1-1. Morejon got the final out of the sixth and worked a clean seventh to setup the eighth inning for Estrada.
The game started with a highlight play in center field by Jackson Merrill in the top of the second inning. Merrill went back to the wall and jumped to make the catch to take a home run away from McGonigle. The play ensured the game remained scoreless. Merrill then doubled to lead off the bottom of the second inning, but back-to-back lineouts from Miguel Andujar and Ramon Laureano, followed by a strikeout from Ty France left him stranded.
San Diego scored the first run of the game off Detroit starter Framber Valdez, who was making his first start with the Tigers. Manny Machado opened the inning with a double down the line and into the left field corner. Merrill then beat out a close play at first base on a ground ball, which allowed Machado to move to third base and put runners on the corners with no outs. Andujar came through with an RBI-single on a sharp ground ball that kicked off McGonigle’s glove at third base and deflected to Javier Baez at shortstop. Baez saw he did not have a play at first base and held onto the ball and the Padres took a 1-0 lead.
San Diego scored its second run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Merrill worked a one-out walk and Andujar flied out for the second out of the inning. An errant throw by Detroit catcher Dingler trying to back-pick Merrill at first base, sailed into right field and Merrill advanced to second base. Laureano followed with a double off the base of the wall in right field that allowed Merrill to score from second base to give the Padres a 2-1 lead.
San Diego will look to avoid a season-opening sweep against Detroit on Saturday at 5:40 p.m.
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