Padres Announce Starting Lineup for Series-Opener vs Dodgers With Surprise Designated Hitter

The Padres can clinch a postseason berth on Tuesday night.

May 18, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates after center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) made a catch on a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The San Diego Padres are in Los Angeles for a three-game series with the rival Dodgers where they can officially clinch a spot in the 2026 postseason.

The Padres (87-69) enter the series as baseball's hottest team, going 13-1 over their last 14 games and 14-2 over their last 16. They need any combination of two wins or Arizona Diamondbacks losses to secure a spot in the postseason.

However, the Padres are not just fighting for a postseason berth, but also a home wild-card series. The Padres and Chicago Cubs currently have the same record, but San Diego lost the season series to them this year.

Thus, the Padres need to finish one game better than the Cubs (and Philadelphia Phillies, who are one game back) to secure the top wild-card spot and a home playoff series.

As for the Dodgers (96-60), they've already secured the NL West and are now looking to clinch a top-two seed that would come with a first-round bye. Their magic number to do that is 3.

Padres vs Dodgers Pitching Matchup on Tuesday

Right-handed pitcher Michael King has been moved up in the rotation order to start Tuesday's game. That will set him up to pitch Game 162 on Sunday if it's a do-or-die game against the Diamondbacks.

If not, he'll pitch Game 1 of the wild-card series.

King is in the midst of a dominant season, going 12-9 with a 3.03 ERA and 154 strikeouts over 181 innings.

The right-hander has already faced the Dodgers three times this season, getting plenty of experience against their lineup.

On May 18, he pitched seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts. On June 28, he allowed four runs over 4.1 innings with five strikeouts. In his very next start on July 3, he allowed two runs over six innings with five strikeouts.

Opposite King will be right-hander Brock Stewart who is opening a bullpen game for LA. He has a 2.55 ERA over 24.2 innings this season.

Left-hander Justin Wrobleski will take down multiple innings for the Dodgers. He has a 3.70 ERA across 136.1 innings this season.

Padres Starting Lineup

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Dustin Harris, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Austin Hays, DH
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

Hays is getting the rare start as the Padres likely are preparing for the left-handed Wrobleski to enter the game in the second inning.

Hays has a .933 OPS against lefties this season, and a .414 OPS against righties.

How to Watch Padres vs Dodgers on Tuesday

First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, Sept. 22 is 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app. It will also be on TBS for out-of-market viewers.

The Padres announced that games will also be available via cable on the following channels:

• Cox (Channel 83)
• DirecTV (Channel 694-3)
• AT&T Uverse (Channel 781 or 1781)
• Spectrum (Channel 305 or 443)

Games will be broadcast on the radio on 97.3 The Fan (in English) and XEMO 860 (in Spanish).

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