Padres lineup – The Padres shifted their lineup hours before first pitch against the Brewers, opting for Gavin Sheets over prospect Ethan Salas in a crucial bid to avoid an 0-2 deficit.
The plan to put history on the line at American Family Field vanished in a matter of minutes. Less than an hour before Sunday’s 1 p.m. first pitch. the Padres announced that 20-year-old Ethan Salas. originally slated to be the youngest designated hitter in postseason history. would be a healthy scratch.
Manager Craig Stammen turned to Gavin Sheets. who stepped into the DH spot to bat sixth. positioned between Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts. The move marks a sudden pivot for a club desperate to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole. a position the team hasn’t faced since dropping back-to-back games in Cincinnati on September 1–2.
For Salas, the decision halts a momentum-building run. After a difficult 0-for-15 start to his big-league career. the young catcher had surged to an 11-for-30 stretch. hitting .366 with two homers. a triple. and six RBIs. He had already cemented his place in the record books on Wednesday by becoming the youngest catcher to ever appear in a postseason game. Reflecting on that rise, Stammen noted, “He’s been impressive since he got here. Got off to a little bit of a rough start there, not getting a hit for a while. But stuck with it. And once he broke through, he’s been a pretty hot hitter for us.”.
Sheets brings his own brand of urgency to the lineup. Having spent a month sidelined with a plantar plate tear in his left foot. his singular swing this postseason—a pinch-hit. two-run homer in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series—earned him the start. Behind the plate. Luis Campusano will take over catching duties for starter Michael King. a battery that logged 21 appearances together during the regular season. resulting in a 2.87 ERA. Campusano is set to bat eighth, just ahead of Jake Cronenworth.
The organizational shift comes as the Padres look to rely on their established core to break out of their current slump. “I think it’s the experience in the room,” Cronenworth said. “I think it’s honestly just the way we’ve been playing.”
On the mound, Michael King looks to continue his dominant postseason form. The right-hander, who holds a 12-10 regular-season record with a 3.21 ERA, enters the day with a 2.05 ERA over 22 postseason innings. His last outing saw him blank the Cubs for seven innings, striking out eight and allowing only one hit. He faces Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson. a second-year starter making his postseason debut following an 11-3 regular season with a 2.47 ERA.
As the teams prepare for the 1 p.m. start. fans arriving at American Family Field will find the roof open for what is expected to be a sunny. 67-degree day. While the lineup change alters the complexion of the batting order. the goal remains unchanged for San Diego: reversing the momentum before the series shifts elsewhere.
Padres Ethan Salas Gavin Sheets MLB playoffs Michael King Logan Henderson Brewers NLDS