Detroit Tigers squander early lead in 6-5 (10) loss to San Diego Padres

Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Jason Foley hit a slider to Fernando Tatis Jr. on the second pitch with a runner in scoring position and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning.

This small mistake made a difference.

The Tigers lost 6-5 to the San Diego Padres in the second of three games of the series at Petco Park on Wednesday on a walk-off single by Tatis, a two-time All-Star who recently returned from the injured list.

The game ended when Tatis Foley's middle-middle slider hit the ground and through the left side of the infield, easily giving the free runner from second base a score in overtime.

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“We had our chances,” manager AJ Hinch told reporters in San Diego. “We fought through and got the lead, but then they showed their fast attack tactics and their bullpen blocking. It was a tough game and a tough loss, especially in overtime. We didn't do anything with our extra runner. They were able to get theirs through.”

The Tigers (70-70) fell to 5½ games behind after two consecutive losses and now occupy the third and final American League wild card spot. Three AL teams are at 70-70: the Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners, with the Tampa Bay Rays at 69-70.

Right-handed starter Keider Montero, who has a 5.47 ERA in 14 games in his rookie season, blew a five-run lead by allowing the Padres to score five runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Tatis celebrated the first walk-off of his 496-game MLB career by removing his jersey while celebrating with his teammates. He later threw his jersey into the stands before leaving the field.

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Battle of the Bullpens

The Padres wasted opportunities with the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings, leaving all three runners on right-handed reliever Beau Brieske in the sixth inning and right-handed reliever Shelby Miller in the seventh inning.

Meanwhile, right-handed reliever Will Vest had an easy out in the eighth inning against the Padres' top three hitters – Tatis (swinging strikeout), Jurickson Profar (swinging strikeout) and Manny Machado (groundout). Vest then returned for the ninth inning and struck out three batters in a row, sending the game into overtime.

To start the 10th inning, the Tigers had runners on the corners with two outs against right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada, but right-handed reliever Justyn-Henry Malloy, filling in as a pinch hitter for left-hander Andy Ibáñez, flew out to center field to end the inning.

The Padres walked the Tigers in the 10th inning. Before Tatis' single, the Tigers intentionally walked contact-heavy left-hander Luis Arraez, which was not a favorable opponent since Foley has historically struggled against left-handed hitters.

Also, Foley doesn’t miss any bats.

“We're going to try a right-handed hitter,” Hinch said. “I thought the ball could get on the ground, which it did, but you're not in a good position either way. We thought the right-handed hitter would give you a better chance of getting the ball on the ground.”

Tatis, a right-hander whose walk-off single ended the game, returned from the injured list before Monday's series opener against the Tigers. He had not played since June 21 due to a stress reaction in his right thigh.

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Keider Montero's Start

Montero collapsed in the fourth inning.

Xander Bogaerts walked two runners and brought one out for rookie Jackson Merrill, who hit his 22nd home run in his 136th game. He hit Montero's fastball up the middle for a three-run home run to left-center field, cutting the Tigers' lead to 5-3.

In the fifth inning, the Padres stunned Montero with back-to-back hits by Arraez (single) and Tatis (double) that put runners on the corners. Both hits came on throws that Montero dropped over the middle of the strike zone.

With one out, Machado – the last batter of Montero's start, regardless of the outcome – managed just enough of a down-and-away changeup on a two-strike count and produced a ground ball single to tie the game at 5-5.

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Montero, 24, allowed five runs on seven hits, two walks and two strikeouts in 4⅓ innings and threw 71 pitches. He has allowed at least four runs in eight of his 14 games since making his MLB debut in late May.

Yu Darvish's start

Right-hander Yu Darvish, a five-time All-Star, was placed on the restricted list in early July due to a personal matter. The 38-year-old made his long-awaited comeback on Thursday against the Tigers, but was not in top form.

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The Tigers ran Darvish into long counts many times, forcing him out after 63 pitches in the third inning. He allowed three runs on four hits and two walks, and had four strikeouts in 2⅔ innings.

Matt Vierling gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead when he hit a 95 mph fastball with two strikes and two outs in the first inning. It was his 16th home run of the season.

The Tigers extended their lead to 2-0 in the second inning thanks to a walk by Spencer Torkelson, who scored on a single by Jace Jung, a wild pitch by Darvish and an RBI groundout by Dillon Dingler.

A leadoff walk by Riley Greene created another scoring opportunity in the third inning, which the Tigers capitalized on with an RBI single by Colt Keith with two outs to take a 3-0 lead. The single by Keith, who had been in a slump last week, chased away Darvish.

Facing left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui, shortstop Trey Sweeney gave the Tigers a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning with a two-run home run on an up-and-in fastball with two strikes. Jung, also a rookie left-hander, opened the inning with plenty of runs by drawing a leadoff walk, as did Torkelson in the second and Greene in the third.

It was Sweeney's first home run against a left-handed pitcher in the 2024 season, along with his 15 home runs in 107 games in Triple-A and two home runs in 15 games in MLB.

Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show, “Days of Roar,” every Monday afternoon on demand on freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And check out all of our podcasts and the daily speech recap at freep.com/podcasts.

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Detroit Tigers squander early lead in 6-5 (10) loss to San Diego Padres

Battle of the Bullpens

Keider Montero's Start

Yu Darvish's start

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