Padres pregame: Tarp off field, Graham Pauley in lineup for Giants series finale

The Padres squeezed in Saturday’s game between downpours and the early indication on Sunday is there will be a window to get in the finale of the four-game opening series against the San Francisco Giants.

While rain resumed shortly before 10 a.m., less than an hour later the Petco Park grounds crew had removed the tarp left on the field overnight as preparations began for the 1:10 p.m. first pitch.

A day after hitting his first big-league homer, Graham Pauley is in the lineup at third base for his first major league start. Luis Campusano is also back in the lineup after giving way to Kyle Higashioka on Saturday.

Campusano and Pauley will hit seventh and eighth, respectively, pushing Jackson Merrill back into the nine-hole after he hit eighth on Saturday.

The top-six spots in the lineup after been unchanged through the Padres’ first six games. The Padres have lost their last two games after winning the home opener against the Giants.

Before the game, the Giants added right-hander Daulton Jefferies so he could make the start. To make room, catcher Joey Bart — the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft — was designated for assignment.

The right-handed-hitting Bart is a .219/.288/.335 hitter over parts of four seasons in the majors and has fallen well off the map in San Francisco, accelerated in part by the emergence of Patrick Bailey, the eight-hole hitter in Sunday’s lineup.

Sunday’s pitching matchup

Giants RHP Daulton Jefferies (2024 debut)

After the game, Giants manager Bob Melvin announced that Jefferies would start the series finale. Jefferies was last in the majors in 2022 in Oakland and has a 5.75 ERA over parts of three seasons in the majors, including 2020-21 under Melvin with the Athletics.

Tyler Wade is the only hitter with history with Jefferies (1-for-2) and he’s not in the lineup.

Padres RHP Michael King (1-0, 8.10 ERA)

While he is moving into the rotation full-time, King came out of the bullpen in the Seoul Series, allowing three runs in 3⅓ innings behind Joe Musgrove’s short start. King struck out five and walked three in the game. King’s only appearance to date against the Giants was allowing two runs in 1⅔ innings as a reliever last year with the Yankees.

Here is how King has fared against current Giants:

• 3B Matt Chapman (1-for-12, RBI, 3 Ks)
• OF Michael Conforto (0-for-5, BB, 2 Ks)
• INF Thairo Estrada (1-for-2, RBI)
• DH Jorge Soler (0-for-2, K)
• 1B LaMonte Wade Jr. (1-for-1, RBI)