San Diego Padres 2024 Wild Card Series preview

• First pitch is scheduled for 5:38pm at Petco Park on ESPN.

The big picture: The Padres no doubt enjoyed watching the Braves battle for a playoff spot Monday while they rested at home.

• The Braves used five pitchers while blowing a 3-0 eighth inning lead to lose the front side of the doubleheader, then had to use six pitchers with their season on the line in the second game.

Between the lines: Michael King will start Game 1 for the Padres.

• Joe Musgrove will take the ball for Game 2, and Dylan Cease will start Game 3 if necessary. Yu Darvish will move to the bullpen.
• Braves starter Chris Sale, the NL Cy Young favorite, is expected to miss the Wild Card Series with back spasms.

By the numbers: The Padres beat the Braves 4-3 in the regular season series this year, but the teams haven't played since mid-July, when the Padres went on a scorching run to end the season.

• Atlanta took two of three games against San Diego at Petco Park.

Zoom in: The Padres enter the series mostly healthy, though they'll be without shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who opted for season-ending shoulder surgery Saturday, ending his attempt to return after hitting the injured list in mid-August.

• Xander Bogaerts will handle shortstop, as he has since Kim's injury.

• Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar carried the team this season and will look to keep it going into the postseason.

If you're going to the game, MTS has increased Trolley service in anticipation of large crowds, and is offering trains on all three lines every 15 minutes or better both before and after the game.

• Parking is free and plentiful at these stations.
• Wednesday's game will also coincide with free ride day for all public transit in the county.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the Padres' pitching rotation for the series.