Ten games into the season, the Padres will roll out a 10th variation of the lineup. Padres manager Craig Stammen has said the early part of the season will be spent figuring out what will actually work for this collection of hitters, and that starts at the top of the lineup.

The Padres’ .318 OPS out of the leadoff spot is not only the worst in the majors, it is more than 100 points below the second-worst team (the Reds with a .429) and more than 300 points the league average (.697).

Even their most consistent hitter of the year flopped in that spot on Sunday as Ramón Laureano went 0-for-5. But one game won’t scare off the Padres — Laureano will again lead off to start a three-game series in Pittsburgh.

Monday’s first pitch is at 3:40 p.m., weather permitting.

Game 1 in the Burgh. pic.twitter.com/mMvPBsiWWA

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 6, 2026

Laureano (.787 OPS) is the third different leadoff hitter the Padres have used this year. He replaced Fernando Tatis Jr. as the leadoff hitter against lefties on Sunday but will get the nod on Monday against Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler.

Neither Tatis nor Jake Cronenworth have produced atop the order.

Tatis: .143/.182/.190 over 22 plate appearances
Cronenworth: .100/.250/.100 over 12 plate appearances

With Laureano leading off, Tatis (.611 OPS) will bat second as he did on Sunday, followed by center fielder Jackson Merrill (.763 OPS), third baseman Manny Machado (.824 OPS), shortstop Xander Bogaerts (.500 OPS) and first baseman Gavin Sheets (.747 OPS), who has hits in four straight games (.545/.583/.818) after going hitless in his first four games.

Nick Castellanos (.485 OPS) will serve as the DH, followed by catcher Freddy Fermin (.387 OPS) and Cronenworth (.325 OPS) at second base.

Here is how the Pirates (6-3), winners of five straight, will line up for Game 1:

10/162.

📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFan pic.twitter.com/lUe5bLsdLW

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 6, 2026

 

Monday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Germán Márquez (0-1, 12.00 ERA) 

The 31-year-old veteran allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in three innings in his Padres debut. Two of the hits left the yard as Márquez was tipping his pitches. He has a 6.82 ERA in 133⅓ innings since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2024. He has a 1.89 ERA in seven career starts against the Pirates, but he has not faced them since 2022. He also has a 1.42 ERA in three starts at PNC Park, but he hasn’t pitched there since 2019.

Here is how he’s fared against current Pirates:

Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (0-0, 0.00 ERA)   

The 23-year-old rookie did not give up a hit in his 2026 debut, but he walked six and allowed an unearned run in 4 ⅓ innings. The Padres have yet to face Chandler, who is sitting 99.1 mph with his four-seamer, 93.4 mph with his changeup and in the high 80s with both his slider and curveball. Chandler has completed six innings just once in his eight career starts (3.53 ERA).

No current Padres have a history with Chandler.