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Padres Lineup vs Red Sox: Jackson Merrill Out as SD Makes Massive Changes to Order

The Padres have a wild new lineup on Saturday.
Noah Camras|
Apr 1, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) comes off the field during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Apr 1, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) comes off the field during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

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San Diego PadresBoston Red Sox

The San Diego Padres are looking to get back in the win column after a 5-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday that moved them to 2-5 on the year.

The Padres are yet to win a first or second game of a series this year, but will look to change that by taking down the Red Sox on Saturday.

Padres vs Red Sox Pitching Matchup on Saturday

Right-handed pitcher Randy Vásquez is taking the mound for the Padres coming off the best start from any San Diego pitcher thus far this year.

Vásquez went six innings against the Detroit Tigers last weekend, allowing zero runs on two hits with eight strikeouts. He helped lead the Padres to their first win of the season after an 0-2 start.

Vásquez's velocity has continued to trend up on his pitches, leading to more swing-and-miss and strikeouts. That's been a recipe for success for him dating back to the last month of the 2025 regular season.

Opposite Vásquez will be Red Sox rookie Connelly Early. The left-hander was sharp in his 2026 debut, allowing one run across 5.1 innings with six strikeouts on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

Early made four starts last season in a brief cup of coffee in the majors, sporting a 2.33 ERA across 19.1 innings with 29 strikeouts. He'll be a tough test for a struggling Padres lineup.

Padres Starting Lineup

  1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
  2. Ramón Laureano, LF
  3. Miguel Andujar, DH
  4. Manny Machado, 3B
  5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  6. Freddy Fermin, C
  7. Ty France, 1B
  8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
  9. Bryce Johnson, CF

The Padres are drastically switching up their lineup against the left-handed Early. Right-handed hitters take up the first seven spots, with Cronenworth as the lone lefty in the entier lineup.

Laureano has been moved up to the No. 2 spot with Andujar batting third. Ferman has been moved all the way up to the No. 6 spot, while France and Johnson are getting starts.

How to Watch Padres vs Red Sox on Saturday

First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. Boston Red Sox on Saturday, April 4, is 1:10 p.m. PT/4:10 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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