Biggest Winners, Losers and Overreactions of Padres' First Series of 2026 Season

The San Diego Padres salvaged their opening series against the Detroit Tigers, winning the third and final game to move to 1-2 on the year ahead of Sunday's day off.

The series was eventful, full of strong pitching, crazy catches and one big blown lead.

At the end of the day, it was only one series, and the Padres still have 159 games to go in the regular season. Nevertheless, it's never too early to look at some early winners and losers from San Diego's first series of the season — and a few overreactions.

Winners

Randy Vásquez

Randy Vásquez had a career year in 2025, acting as somewhat of a savior for the Padres rotation. This year, they'll need even more from him if they want to stay relevant in the loaded National League.

So far, so good.

Vásquez shut down a strong Tigers offense, pitching six shutout innings with eight strikeouts. He helped lead the Padres to their first win of the season in dominant fashion.

Calidad en la lomita. pic.twitter.com/7jAxEY52Gs
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 29, 2026

Ramón Laureano

Ramon Laureano has been the Padres' best hitter through the season's first three games.

He's 5-for-12 (.417) with one home run, two runs batted in and an OPS of 1.167.

He had a home run on Opening Day, a go-ahead RBI on Friday and a three-hit game on Saturday.

Razor Ramón! pic.twitter.com/xAEZBGQ7d5
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 28, 2026

Losers

Nick Pivetta

Nick Pivetta entered the 2026 season with as much pressure as he's ever had after his breakout 2025 season. He didn't deliver in his first career Opening Day start.

Pivetta allowed four runs in the first inning and lasted just three innings, giving up six runs. He'll have even more pressure in his next start against the San Francisco Giants to prove he can have an encore 2026 season.

“I would love that game back,” Pivetta said after his outing. “But that’s not reality. That’s not how the world works. Just look to capitalize on a couple days off that I have here, get a good bullpen sesh, get back to who I am.”

Jeremiah Estrada

Jeremiah Estrada entered the eighth inning of a 2-1 game on Friday with the Padres looking for their first win of the season. He walked the bases loaded, allowed a game-tying hit and was then relieved by Wandy Peralta, who allowed three more runs to score — all charged to Estrada.

Estrada made 77 appearances last season. He allowed four or more runs in just three of them.

He's already one-for-one in that category this season.

“It’s unfortunate,” Estrada said after the game. “The way I look at it is it sucks to lose at the end of the day, but get the bad ones out of the way early. That’s all I can say.”

Padres Overreactions from Tigers Series

1. Michael King is Back

Michael King had an injury-riddled 2025 season, spending nearly four months on the injured list and never fully being the pitcher he was the year prior.

He had a rough spring, and was starting to raise some serious concerns heading into 2026 — just months after the Padres gave him a three-year, $75 million deal.

His first start had to have the Padres feeling good.

King threw five innings, allowing just one unearned run while striking out six. He struggled with walks — allowing four free passes — but was able to limit the damage in a strong first showing.

2. The First Base Platoon Isn't Working

The Padres' first base platoon this season is expected to be comprised of Gavin Sheets, Ty France and Nick Castellanos, with Miguel Andujar potentially filling in, too.

Sheets has had two starts at first base, and is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts.

France has had one start at first base, where he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Castellanos has had one start at DH (and two pinch-hit appearances). He's 1-for-6 with a strikeout.

It's not a good start for any of the first base options. It's also early. That's why it's an overreaction.