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Inside The Padres

Padres Lineup vs Cardinals: Gavin Sheets Out, 28-Year-Old Rookie Making MLB Debut

The Padres start a new series on Thursday.
Noah Camras|
Apr 16, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres designated hitter Gavin Sheets (30) celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Apr 16, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres designated hitter Gavin Sheets (30) celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are welcoming the St. Louis Cardinals into town for a four-game series this weekend at Petco Park.

Both teams have been early season surprises, as the Padres enter the series at 22-14, and the Cardinals are 21-15.

The Padres won the final two games of their most recent series against the San Francisco Giants, but are just 4-5 over their last nine games. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have won seven of their last nine games heading into this weekend's series.

If the two teams continue to play as they are now for the remainder of the season, these four games at Petco Park could prove crucial in the potential Wild Card race down the line.

Padres vs Cardinals Pitching Matchup on Thursday

Right-handed pitcher Michael King is taking the mound for the Padres in his eighth start of the season.

King is 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA, striking out 39 batters while walking 18 over 39.2 innings of work.

King has allowed more than two earned runs just twice this season, one of them being in his most recent outing against the Chicago White Sox. He'll look to get back on track against a strong Cardinals lineup.

Opposite King will be Cardinals left-handed Matthew Liberatore, who's 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 36 innings of work.

He faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in his most recent start, allowing two runs over 5.2 innings.

Padres Starting Lineup

  1. Jackson Merrill, CF
  2. Miguel Andujar, DH
  3. Manny Machado, 3B
  4. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
  5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  6. Ramón Laureano, LF
  7. Ty France, 1B
  8. Nick Castellanos, RF
  9. Rodolfo Duran, C

With the left-hander on the mound, Gavin Sheets is out of the lineup, with France at first base and Castellanos in right field.

Thus, Tatis is at second base and batting cleanup, while Andujar has been moved all the way up to the No. 2 hole.

Finally, Duran is set to make his MLB debut after the Padres placed Luis Campusano on the injured list.

Across 23 games at Triple-A El Paso, Duran slashed .238/.356/.429 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and an OPS of .785.

How to Watch Padres vs Cardinals on Thursday

First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, May 7 is 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN and in the ESPN app.

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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