Padres Announce Another Change to Starting Rotation for Rivalry Series vs Dodgers

For the second time in two days, the San Diego Padres are shaking up their starting rotation ahead of this weekend's series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On Tuesday, Padres manager Craig Stammen announced the decision to push back right-handed pitcher Randy Vásquez from his Wednesday start, setting him up to pitch in Friday's series opener.

On Wednesday, he then announced that Vásquez has been pushed back yet again, as he'll now be starting Saturday's game against LA.

Left-handed pitcher JP Sears started Wednesday's series finale against the Atlanta Braves in Vásquez's place. Right-hander Walker Buehler will remain on turn to kick off the series on Friday,

Padres vs Dodgers Pitching Probables

Friday, June 26: RHP Walker Buehler vs. RHP Roki Sasaki

Buehler is taking the mound against his former team for the first time as a member of the Padres.

Buehler has turned into arguably the most consistent pitcher for San Diego this season, sporting a 3.96 ERA across 72.2 innings of work.

He's allowed one run in each of his last four starts, compiling a 1.71 ERA in that span.

Opposite Buehler will be Sasaki, who has a 4.76 ERA across 68 innings this season. He's allowed 10 runs over his last two starts (10 innings).

Saturday, June 27: RHP Randy Vásquez vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Vásquez will finally get the ball on Saturday after a longer break than usual.

Maybe the extra rest will help him reset as he's desperately looking to get back to his early-season dominance.

Vásquez is coming off his worst start of the year, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits while lasting just 3.1 innings. He now has a 4.17 ERA across 77.2 innings this season.

As for Yamamoto, he's in the midst of another strong season, entering Saturday's game with a 2.65 ERA across 91.2 innings with 86 strikeouts to 17 walks.

Sunday, June 28: RHP Michael King vs. RHP Emmet Sheehan

King is coming off his best start in a while against the Braves where he fired seven shutout innings with five strikeouts.

Before that, he had five consecutive starts in which he allowed at least three runs, with his last good outing coming against the Dodgers on May 18 when he pitched seven scoreless innings.

Overall, he has a 3.33 ERA over 92 innings of work this year.

Opposite King will be Sheehan, who's in the midst of a trying year for LA.

He's 3-5 with a 5.32 ERA across 67.2 innings, and is coming off a game in which he lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits.

How to Watch Padres vs Dodgers June 26-28

First pitch for Friday's series opener is 6:45 p.m. PT/9:45 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Apple TV+.

First pitch for Saturday's game is 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app.

First pitch for Sunday's series finale is 1:10 p.m. PT/4:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app.

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