SAN DIEGO (AP) — Parker Meadows hit a grand slam on a full count 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’ opposite-field homer went into the second row in left field off a 100.7 mph four-seam fastball from Padres closer Robert Suarez (8-3). It was the second-fastest pitch a Tigers player has homered off of in the pitch-tracking era that started in 2008, behind only Jeimer Candelario’s homer off of 102.1 mph pitch on Sept. 7, 2018.
Tigers reliever Ricky Vanasco (1-0) won his first game of the season with a scoreless eighth. Tyler Holton earned his seventh save with a scoreless ninth.
San Diego (80-62) had its three-game winning streak stopped and remained three games ahead of Arizona for the top NL wild card. Detroit (71-70) is five games behind Kansas City for the last AL wild card, tied with Seattle.
Padres starter Martin Pérez kept the Tigers off balance by mixing his assortment of pitches effectively. He went 6 1/3 innings and gave up no runs and three hits while striking out five.
Jurickson Profar hit his 22nd home run, a solo shot, in the first inning and Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer in the second inning to give San Diego a 3-0 lead.
Tigers starter Casey Mize lasted 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs on six hits.
Suarez failed to earn his 32nd save by giving up a single and two walks prior to Meadows grand slam.
Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Padres a 6-5 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday night in his second game back from the IL, went 0 for 4 on Thursday night.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: OF Max Kepler (left patellar tendinitis) was placed on 10-day IL. …LHP Kody Funderburk (left oblique strain) was transferred to 60-day IL. …OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was selected from Triple-A St. Paul.
UP NEXT
Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (16-4, 2.51) opens a three-game series on Friday night against Oakland A’s RHP Mitch Spence (7-9, 4.50).
The starters for the Padres and San Francisco Giants for the opener of a three-games series at San Francisco starting Friday night have not been announced.
