Padres pregame: Another day for Elias Díaz, Gavin Sheets sits

With Nick Pivetta’s turn in the rotation due to come up again this weekend, Elias Díaz will get a day this weekend at familiar Coors Field.

But he’s doing well enough with that one day to warrant another as the Padres look to snap a three-game losing streak.

So Díaz is behind the plate for Wednesday’s series finale against the Orioles, just his second pairing with a pitcher (Nestor Cortes) other than Pivetta since the trade deadline introduced a new catching dynamic.

Wednesday’s first pitch is at 1:10 p.m. on Padres.TV.

The Padres acquired Freddy Fermin to be the primary catcher and he stretched his legs adequately, hitting .364/.400/.485 with a homer and five RBIs through his first 10 games.

The Padres went 7-3 during those starts.

Fermin collected two doubles in Tuesday’s loss, but he is hitting .171/.209/.268 over his last 14 games, a stretch that has seen him make day-after-night starts to maintain the Díaz-Pivetta pairing.

The Padres are 5-9 in the last 14 games.

Díaz is hitting .192/.276/.538 over 10 appearances since the trade deadline. But he homered twice in Pivetta’s last start and homered in the start before that one.

Díaz will bat ninth in a series finale that will see the Padres again sit a starting-caliber left-handed hitter.

Series finale. pic.twitter.com/5heeEV5qc1

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 3, 2025

With Jackson Merrill off the injured list, that’s happening regardless of the handedness of the pitcher.

On Wednesday it is Gavin Sheets taking a seat as first baseman Luis Arraez remains in the two-hole, Ryan O’Hearn serves as the DH and cleanup hitter and Merrill bats sixth and plays center field.

Jose Iglesias is also back at shortstop after giving way to Mason McCoy a day earlier.

Here is how the Orioles will line up as they look for the sweep:

Today's #Orioles' lineup pic.twitter.com/ihCSNYZDdw

— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) September 3, 2025

Wednesday’s pitching matchup

Orioles LHP Cade Povich (2-7, 5.04 ERA)

The 25-year-old has a 5.12 ERA in 170 ⅔ innings since making his debut last year. He had a 4.78 ERA in five starts in August, all losses for his team. Povich has a 3.86 ERA in 39⅔ innings this year on the road. This will be Povich’s first appearance against the Padres.

Only catcher Freddy Fermin (1-for-3, RBI, K) and outfielder Gavin Sheets (0-for-3, K) have history with Povich.

Padres LHP Nestor Cortes (2-3, 5.06 ERA)

He followed up his best start of the year (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER against the Dodgers) with a clunker at Minnesota (3 IP, 3 ER). Cortes has a 3.75 ERA in five starts so far with the Padres. He has a 2.20 ERA in 57⅓ innings against the Orioles, who first brought him to the majors in 2018, including a 3.00 ERA in two starts last year.

Here is how Cortes has fared against current Orioles: