SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The Detroit Tigers broke open a tense pitchers’ duel with a four-run eighth inning, rallying past the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Friday night at PETCO Park to remain unbeaten on the young season.

A crowd of 44,896 watched as the Tigers, now 2-0, capitalized on a sudden command lapse by the Padres’ bullpen to erase a 2-1 deficit and secure their second straight victory over San Diego, which fell to 0-2.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the top of the eighth inning. With the Padres holding a slim 2-1 lead, reliever Jeremiah Estrada, who took the loss, and Wandy Peralta combined to issue three consecutive walks to Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres and Colt Keith, loading the bases with one out. Riley Greene then grounded a single up the middle off Peralta, scoring Carpenter to tie the game. After a strikeout, rookie Kevin McGonigle delivered the decisive blow, lining a two-run single to right field to score Torres and Keith. Dillon Dingler followed with another RBI single, plating Greene to cap the rally and give Detroit a commanding 5-2 advantage.

The late offensive outburst overshadowed a masterful starting pitching performance from San Diego’s Michael King, who stifled the Tigers for five innings. King allowed just one hit and struck out six, exiting with a 1-0 lead. Detroit’s Framber Valdez was nearly as sharp, working six innings and yielding one run on seven hits while striking out five, keeping his team within striking distance.

The Padres struck first in the fourth inning. Manny Machado led off with a double and scored on a Miguel Andujar single that deflected off McGonigle at third base, giving San Diego a 1-0 lead. Detroit answered in the sixth against reliever Adrian Morejon. Torres walked, advanced to second on an error, moved to third on a double play, and scored on a two-out single by Spencer Torkelson to knot the game at 1-1.

San Diego immediately reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the sixth. Jackson Merrill walked and scored on a two-out double by Ramón Laureano, making it 2-1. That set the stage for Detroit’s game-altering rally in the eighth.

The Tigers’ bullpen trio of Enmanuel De Jesus, Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen sealed the victory. De Jesus, credited with the win, pitched a scoreless seventh. Finnegan worked a perfect eighth, and Jansen earned the save by striking out the side in the ninth in dominant fashion.

Detroit managed just six hits but drew eight walks. The Tigers also grounded into two double plays. San Diego out-hit Detroit 8-6, with Merrill going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. McGonigle’s two RBIs on his eighth-inning single were the key offensive stat for Detroit.

The game time was 2 hours, 49 minutes. The result defied pregame projections from Interstat, whose simulator had predicted a 1-0 Detroit win, while its ELO system gave San Diego a 57.7% probability of victory. The Tigers also covered the pregame spread of -1.5.

Detroit will go for a series sweep on Saturday, March 28, in the third game of the set at PETCO Park. The Tigers then travel to Arizona for a three-game series starting Monday. The Padres will look to avoid the sweep on Saturday before hosting the San Francisco Giants for three games beginning Monday.