DETROIT (AP) — Reese Olson allowed two hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Detroit Tigers defeated the San Diego Padres 6-0 to win a three-game series on Wednesday.
Justyn-Henry Malloy homered and doubled for the Tigers, who won two of three from the Padres to improve to 9-4 at home. Detroit has won six of its first eight series this season for the first time since 2015.
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Detroit Tigers'Justyn-Henry Malloy celebrates with teammates after scoring against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene singles to drive in Justyn-Henry Malloy against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
San Diego Padres starter Kyle Hart pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
San Diego Padres' Connor Joe flips his bat after striking out to end the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
CORRECTS TO EIGHTH INNING, NOT NINTH - Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler rounds the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers third baseman Andy Ibáñez fields a grounder hit by San Diego Padres' Mason Macoy before throwing him out at first base during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson pitches against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler (13) is greeted by Zach McKinstry, right, after hitting a 2-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Olson gave up two singles — both to former Tiger Jose Iglesias — and walked one batter while striking out seven.
Kyle Hart (2-2) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out six for San Diego, which has gone 3-5 after a 14-3 start.
Iglesias led off the third inning with a single to right, but Olson retired the next 16 hitters until Oscar Gonzalez walked with one out in the eighth. Iglesias followed with his second hit of the game, bringing Tommy Kahnle out of the bullpen.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead on Gleyber Torres' first-inning home run.
Malloy made it 2-0 with a fifth-inning homer, ending Hart's day, then increased the margin to three runs with an RBI double in the seventh. Riley Greene's broken-bat single scored Malloy with Detroit's fourth run, and Dillon Dingler made it 6-0 with a two-run homer in the eighth.
Fernando Tatís Jr.'s on-base streak ended at 23 games.
Detroit centerfielder Javier Báez made an over-the-shoulder catch before hitting the wall to deny a Padres' rally in the eighth.
Olson held the Padres without a home run.
The Padres are off Thursday. They return home for a three-game weekend series with the Tampa Bay Rays. Starting pitchers have not been announced for Friday's opener.
Detroit is also off Thursday, but will remain home for a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. RHP Casey Mize (3-1, 2.22) is scheduled to start the opener Friday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Detroit Tigers'Justyn-Henry Malloy celebrates with teammates after scoring against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene singles to drive in Justyn-Henry Malloy against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
San Diego Padres starter Kyle Hart pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
San Diego Padres' Connor Joe flips his bat after striking out to end the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
CORRECTS TO EIGHTH INNING, NOT NINTH - Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler rounds the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers third baseman Andy Ibáñez fields a grounder hit by San Diego Padres' Mason Macoy before throwing him out at first base during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson pitches against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler (13) is greeted by Zach McKinstry, right, after hitting a 2-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.
In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.
Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.
If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.
For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.
“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.
Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.
"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.
Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.
Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.
Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.
The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.
“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.
As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.
What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.
The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.
One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.
Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.
“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.
The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.
Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.
“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.
Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.
“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
