The San Diego Padres are missing chunks of their offense, but their performance on Tuesday showed how they can win without key members of their lineup.
The Padres got stellar pitching in a 2-0 win over the host Detroit Tigers and will go for a three-game series victory on Wednesday afternoon.
The shutout, which included seven strong innings from starter Nick Pivetta, took pressure off an offense missing Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth.
“We still expect to win every game,” first baseman/outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “We’ve still got the players in here, regardless of who’s out, to win baseball games. We’ve shown that. That’s the exciting thing. We know those guys are coming back. Hopefully soon. That’ll be an extra jolt.”
Right-hander Reese Olson (2-1, 4.50 ERA) will start the series finale for Detroit. Olson tossed five scoreless innings last Thursday in a 6-1 victory over Kansas City.
Olson kept the Royals off-balance by relying on his changeup. He threw 31 of them among 87 pitches.
“After that first inning, it kind of felt like I could throw (the changeup) every pitch and Ding (catcher Dillon Dingler) called it a lot,” Olson said. “He trusted it and I trusted it and it got me out of big spots.”
Olson is an underrated member of the Tigers’ strong rotation. He’s not an ace like Tarub Skubal, a World Series veteran like Jack Flaherty, a former No. 1 overall pick like Casey Mize or a rookie phenom like Jackson Jobe. However, Olson had a 3.53 ERA in 22 starts last season despite a shoulder strain that kept him out of action for nearly two months.
“When he throws strike one and when he’s using all of his pitches in and around the zone, he gets really tough to hit,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said.
Olson gave up five runs in five innings in his lone career start against San Diego in 2023.
Left-hander Kyle Hart (2-1, 6.48) will get the starting assignment for the Padres. His three April starts have been a roller-coaster ride.
Hart couldn’t get out of the first inning against the Chicago Cubs on April 6, allowing five runs. He then limited Colorado to one hit in six scoreless innings on April 12. In his last start on Friday, He surrendered five runs and 10 hits in five innings at Houston. Cam Smith hit a pair of homers off Hart.
“You take Smith out of the lineup — which we cannot — I thought he threw pretty well,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “He got him for four of his runs. Overall, I thought he was good and competed, Threw enough quality strikes, made big pitches when he had to.”
Hart will be facing Detroit for the first time.
One positive development for the Tigers on Tuesday was the presence of Kerry Carpenter in the lineup. Carpenter left Sunday’s game against Kansas City with hamstring soreness. It turned out to be minor and he was able to serve as the designated hitter after a one-game absence.
“It was definitely a blessing that it wasn’t anything worse,” he said. “I felt like I could’ve played (Monday) as well. It’s good to be back in there.”
