Tigers shut out by Padres for first loss of season
San Diego — Things were moving right along for Detroit Tigers starter Jack Flaherty on Saturday night. He set down the first eight hitters before catcher Freddy Fermin singled to keep the third inning going. It was like the seal broke.
Three straight singles, the last by Fernando Tatis Jr. , broke a scoreless tie. Then with runners at first and third, Tatis broke for second base.
Catcher Jake Rogers’ throw beat Tatis to the bag but second baseman Gleyber Torres whiffed on it. Instead of the final out, the Padres were up 2-0, a lead that proved insurmountable on this night. The Tigers managed just two hits, both against Padres right-hander Randy Vasquez, and dropped the series finale 3-0 at Petco Park.
For Flaherty, it was the kind of Jekyll and Hyde performance he worked hard in the offseason to avoid. He wasn’t even at 40 pitches and nearly out of the third inning when Fermin singled and he had to work out of the stretch for the first time. That seemed to take him out of his rhythm.
He struggled to close out that inning. He needed 21 pitches to record the final out. He got the first two hitters in the fourth, though the second out was loud.