Tigers Aim to Sweep Series Against Padres

Detroit Tigers look to complete 3-game sweep of San Diego Padres

Mar. 28, 2026 at 8:04am

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The Detroit Tigers (2-0) will try to complete a three-game series sweep against the San Diego Padres (0-2) on Saturday night in San Diego. The Tigers are favored at -116 over the Padres (-103), with the total set at 8 runs.

Why it matters

The Tigers are off to a strong start this season, looking to build on their 87-75 record from 2022. A series sweep of the Padres would give them early momentum in the AL Central. For San Diego, an 0-3 start would put them in an early hole after they went 90-72 last year and made the playoffs.

The details

Detroit will send Jack Flaherty to the mound, while San Diego counters with Randy Vasquez. The Padres led the league in slugging percentage (.390) and extra-base hits per game (2.6) last season, but the Tigers had a respectable .247 team batting average. Both teams are dealing with several early-season injuries, with the Padres missing key players like Joe Musgrove and the Tigers without Trey Sweeney and others.

  • The series finale is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 8:40 p.m. EDT.

The players

Jack Flaherty

The starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in Saturday's game.

Randy Vasquez

The starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres in Saturday's game.

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What they’re saying

“We're looking forward to the challenge of trying to sweep the Padres on the road. It would be a great way to start the season.”

— A.J. Hinch, Tigers Manager

“We've got to find a way to get in the win column. Dropping the first three would put us in a tough spot early on.”

— Bob Melvin, Padres Manager

What’s next

The Tigers will look to complete the series sweep on Saturday night. If they are successful, they would improve to 3-0 on the young season.

The takeaway

This early-season series between the Tigers and Padres provides an interesting litmus test for both teams. Detroit is aiming to build on its 2022 success, while San Diego hopes to rebound from an 0-2 start and prove it can compete with one of the AL's top teams.