Padres pregame: Seeking a seventh straight series win

The Padres have won six series in a row.

A seventh straight series win will require finishing off a two-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City.

Sunday's first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. on Padres.TV.

With the Braves losing on Saturday, the Padres (18-8) begin Sunday with an MLB-best .692 winning percentage and they remain a half-game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West.

The Padres have won 16 of their last 19 games, hitting .248/.327/.404 for a .731 OPS over that stretch.

Their success is in spite of three of their top four projected hitters struggling at the plate.

Fernando Tatis Jr. (.622 OPS) is still looking for his first homer, Manny Machado (.615 OPS) has a .198 batting average on the season and Jackson Merrill (.635) is in a 1-for-25 funk.

All three are in Sunday's lineup, while Ty France is not despite hitting two home runs on Saturday.

France will give way to Miguel Andujar, who will serve as the DH as Gavin Sheets gets the start at first base.

Luis Campusano is also in the lineup behind the plate as he has been for all Michael King starts.

Here is how the Diamondbacks (14-12) - who lost shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to an ankle sprain on Saturday - will line up on Sunday:

Sunday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Michael King (3-1, 2.28 ERA)

He's only gone six innings twice this year, largely because he's averaging 4.6 walks per nine innings, well above his career rate (3.2). King is allowing opponents a .185/.315/.272 batting line so far this year, with a .587 opponent OPS below his career numbers (.652). King has thrown 13 ⅔ shutout innings at the Diamondbacks - all in the Padres rotation - striking out 11 against three walks.

Here is how the King has fared against current D-backs:

D-backs RHP Ryne Nelson (1-2, 6.97 ERA)

The former second-rounder had a 3.54 ERA through four starts before allowing eight runs in one-third of an inning on Sunday against the Blue Jays. Nelson hasn't allowed a home run since allowing two in each of his first two starts. Nelson has a 4.83 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) in his career against the Padres. He posted a 1.69 ERA over two starts (10⅔ IP) last year.

Here is how Nelson has fared against current Padres:

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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 10:57 AM.