Tigers 4-3 Padres (September 5, 2024) Match Report

SAN DIEGO – Parker Meadows hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night.

Meadows' home run to the opposite field went off a 100.7 mph four-seam fastball from Padres closer Robert Suarez (8-3) to the second row in left field. It was the second-fastest pitch hit by a Tigers player for a home run in the pitch-tracking era that began in 2008. Only Jeimer Candelario's home run with a 102.1 mph pitch on Sept. 7, 2018, was faster.

“I played against him (Suarez) last night and I knew he had a good heater. I hit hard a couple times in the at-bat. I tried to take it easy, not do too much and control the heater,” Meadows said. “I sprinted out of the box. I didn't really know if he had a chance. I saw him go over (the fence) and I got excited.”

Tigers relief pitcher Ricky Vanasco (1-0) won his first game of the season with a scoreless eighth inning. Tyler Holton made his seventh save with a scoreless ninth inning.

“There's a great competitive spirit in this group. There's a great desire to be good and to finish these games,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “Our guys have learned that if you just keep stringing together good at-bats, you're never out of the race.”

San Diego (80-62) had its three-game winning streak broken and remains three games ahead of Arizona in the first NL wild card spot. Detroit (71-70) is five games behind Kansas City in the last AL wild card spot and is tied with Seattle.

“We're going into the next series with momentum,” Meadows said. “Never shut us down. You've seen it all year and we were able to do it again tonight, so it was pretty fun.”

Padres starter Martin Pérez kept the Tigers off balance by effectively mixing up his pitch selection. He went 6 1/3 innings, allowing no runs and three hits and striking out five players.

“I was good with everything – my timing, my power, my rhythm was there,” said Pérez. “We (win) the series and that's a good thing.”

Jurickson Profar hit his 22nd home run, a solo hit, in the first inning, and Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run home run in the second inning to give San Diego a 3-0 lead.

Tigers starter Casey Mize lasted 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits.

“Make a mistake on Profar – the ball is supposed to go down and away, but it ends up up and in and he hits a home run. Same with Bogaerts,” Mize said. “At that point, I just sit back and tell myself, hold it here. Hold it here as long as you can.”

Suarez failed to earn his 32nd save, allowing a single and two walks before Meadows' grand slam.

“I felt like it was a good throw. It was right where I wanted it and he hit it well,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “I made a lot of throws and that affected me toward the end.”

Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Padres a 6-5 win over the Tigers on Wednesday night in his second game since returning from the injured list, went 0 for 4 on Thursday night.

Next

Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (16-4, 2.51) opens a three-game series against Oakland A's RHP Mitch Spence (7-9, 4.50) on Friday night.

The Padres and San Francisco Giants starters for the opening game of a three-game series in San Francisco that begins Friday night have not yet been announced.

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