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Padres Announce Starting Pitcher, Lineup for Final Game of Regular Season vs Diamondbacks

The Padres are now looking to play spoiler.
Noah Camras|
Sep 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres thrid baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrates with first baseman Ty France (25) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Sep 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres thrid baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrates with first baseman Ty France (25) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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San Diego PadresArizona Diamondbacks

The San Diego Padres have clinched the No. 4 seed in the National League. On Tuesday, they'll be playing the Chicago Cubs in the first of potentially three wild-card games at Petco Park.

Before that, though, the Padres will have the opportunity to play spoiler to the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks are fighting for their postseason lives on Sunday in Game 162. The Diamondbacks need to beat the Padres and have the Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Tampa Bay Rays to clinch a postseason spot. If Arizona loses or Philadelphia wins, the Diamondbacks will be going home.

As for the Padres, they're not playing for anything besides staying sharp before Tuesday. Manager Craig Stammen was thrilled with how his team looked on Saturday night to clinch the top wild-card spot.

“Guys played great today, and they’ve had a great season,” Stammen said after Saturday's game. “And we’re rewarded getting to play a couple playoff games at home. So we’re excited about that. We don’t have to pack our bags, and we can enjoy this one, and then get ready for the playoffs.”

Padres vs Diamondbacks Pitching Matchup on Sunday

Right-handed pitcher Randy Vásquez will start what's expected to be somewhat of a bullpen game on Sunday.

The Padres will stay away from their high-leverage relievers, but likely use a handful of pitchers to get through what has suddenly become an insignificant game for them.

As for the Diamondbacks, this game means everything for them, and they're sending right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka to the mound. He is 9-5 with a 3.31 ERA across 111.1 innings this season.

Padres Starting Lineup

  1. Dustin Harris, RF
  2. Manny Machado, DH
  3. Ty France, 1B
  4. Gavin Sheets, DH
  5. Austin Hays, LF
  6. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
  7. Freddy Fermin, C
  8. Sung-Mun Song, SS
  9. Jase Bowen, CF

How to Watch Padres vs Diamondbacks on Sunday

First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, Sept. 27 is 12:10 p.m. PT/3:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app.

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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Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has extensively covered Southern California sports in his career. Noah is the publisher of Padres on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years.

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