Good Morning San Diego: Padres, Craig Stammen get first wins; Randy Vasquez delivers two-hit performance

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Freddy Fermin #54 and Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres celebrate on the field after defeating the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images Mason Miller faced off against Kevin McGonigle in the final plate appearance of the night between the San Diego Padres and the Detroit Tigers. The Padres were looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Tigers thanks in large part to the breakout performance McGonigle who was playing the third MLB game of his career.

The rookie got off to a blistering start with four hits in the series opener and he followed that with another hit in the second game of the series. There was debate on Friday night about whether Miller, the Padres closer, should have been brought into the game in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and the score tied 2-2. Instead, San Diego manager Craig Stammen went with Wandy Peralta for the left-on-left matchup and McGonigle delivered a two-run single on a 10-pitch at-bat that gave Detroit a 4-2 lead en route to the win.

Miller entered the game on Saturday with the Padres ahead 3-0 and quickly recorded the first two outs. He then walked Spencer Torkelson to set up the matchup with McGonigle who struck out on three pitches giving Miller his first save of the season. The win was also the first of the year for the Padres and the first of Stammen’s managerial career.

Long before Miller faced McGonigle, Randy Vasquez toed the rubber for San Diego. The right-hander delivered a dazzling performance , although it was not always the smoothest outing, with six innings of scoreless baseball. Vasquez finished the night with three walks and eight strikeouts, but the most impressive part of his outing was that he allowed just two hits.