Padres Notes: Friars Release Pitcher, Stars Defend Dodgers, City Connect Jersey Leaks

The San Diego Padres began the 2026 campaign on Thursday, dropping the season opener with an 8-2 loss against the Detroit Tigers.

Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta struggled in his first career Opening Day start as he allowed six earned runs and seven hits across three innings of work. After the game, he spoke on letting the early four-run first inning affect the rest of his shortened performance.

“Disconnected, out of rhythm,” Pivetta said. “Didn’t make pitches when I needed to, kind of let it snowball on me. Just wasn’t able to make the adjustment today.”

Ahead of the eventual defeat, the Padres organization released a left-handed pitcher. The 33-year-old was originally drafted by the Friars in 2010, but only ever appeared in the majors during the 2018 season with the San Francisco Giants.

In other news, a few Padres stars have defended the rival Los Angeles Dodgers regarding their frivolous offseason spending. Although many around the baseball world feel as though the sport is suffering because of the Dodgers, center fielder Jackson Merrill shared his admiration for what LA has been doing.

“I don’t think they’re destroying baseball,” Merrill said. “I love it. I love how much money they’re spending. Other teams who want to compete, just spend the money.”

Finally, Padres CEO Erik Greupner addressed the City Connect jerseys that were supposed to be released later this season being leaked on the internet this week. Especially after the latest City Connect jerseys received a polarizing response, Greupner shared what he was able to at this stage in the launch.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that any of the multiple leaks are true or not. All we are going to continue to say is that they will debut in April. Don't believe dates that have been thrown out there, we have not yet confirmed a date," Greupner said.

"When the time is right, we will give the date. And we will give everything around the uniforms and also the thinking behind why we made some of the changes and additions that we made. And why we believe these uniforms can be even more impactful than the first iteration. So, super excited to debut them in April."

Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

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