Padres Lineup vs Mariners: Freddy Fermin Out, Miguel Andujar Starting

The red-hot Padres are going for the sweep.

Apr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin, center, leaves the game next to manager Craig Stammen, left, and a trainer during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are the hottest team in Major League Baseball right now, and they're looking to sweep the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night to extend their winning streak to eight games.

The Padres took down the Mariners by a score of 4-1 in the series opener. Then, they came back from a six-run deficit — including a four-run deficit in the ninth inning — to walk-off the Mariners in electric fashion on Wednesday night.

The Padres (12-6) have won 10 of their last 11 games. The Mariners (8-11) were on a four-game winning streak heading into this Vedder Cup series. Now, they're looking to avoid a three-game skid.

Padres vs Mariners Pitching Matchup on Thursday

Right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler is taking the mound for the Padres for the fourth time this season.

Buehler struggled mightily over his first two starts — allowing seven earned runs over 6.2 innings — before firing six shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies in his most recent outing.

Overall, Buehler has a 4.97 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 12.2 innings this season. The Padres need him to pitch well even more so than before now that Nick Pivetta is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Opposite Buehler will be Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo, also making his fourth start of the year. The three-time All-Star has regressed in each outing this season, culminating in a seven-run, 10-hit performance in just 3.1 innings against the Houston Astros this past weekend.

Castillo has a 6.92 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 13 innings this season. In his career at Petco Park, he's made three starts, accruing a 3.78 ERA over 16.2 innings of work.

Padres Starting Lineup

1. Ramón Laureano, LF
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Jackson Merrill, CF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Miguel Andujar, DH
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

Tatis is back in the starting lineup after a day off on Wednesday (although he got a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the five-run ninth inning).

Freddy Fermin, who exited Wednesday's game in the third inning after taking a foul ball off his mask, is out of the lineup — but that was to be expected as Campusano has been Buehler's personal catcher.

It remains to be seen if Fermin is able to play, or if the Padres will need to bring up a catcher from Triple-A.

How to Watch Padres vs Mariners on Thursday

First pitch for Padres versus Mariners on Thursday, April 16 is 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app. It will also be broadcast on MLB Network.

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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