Padres News: Local TV options, batters' eye renovations, Opening Day matchup

It's Opening Day, Pads fans. You know, the real one. Though the San Diego Padres opened the regular season last week with two games in South Korea against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the rest of Major League Baseball will take the field this afternoon for the start of the 2024 baseball season.

The Padres enter the year with heavy hearts after the passing of Peter Seidler. The Friars will display a special patch on their uniforms this season with the initials "PS" to honor the longtime owner.

The Padres are 1-1 heading into Opening Day, and will have to scratch and claw in order to ascend to the top of what's set up to be a super-competitive National League West Division. But the Friar faithful now have intriguing local options for watching Padres games this season.

Padres News: Local TV options

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the Padres’ remaining games can be found either on Padres TV, Apple TV+, ESPN, FS1, FOX Sports or TBS. Padres TV is now available for AT&T U-verse, COX, Spectrum and DirecTV.

The direct-to-consumer, in-market TV app is available for purchase, and all nationally televised games will air on channels like ESPN, FS1, FOX, and TBS. Padres fans now have a way to watch their favorite team all season long.

Padres News: Batters' eye renovations

When San Diego fans head out to Petco Park this season, the batters' eye in center field will look a little different. According to The Athletic (subscription required), the fake ivy has been removed from the batters' eye.

The batters' eye is now back to the way it looked prior to the 2022 season. Complaints from the players mostly consisted of the fact that more than one color was present when looking out into the outfield while standing in the batters' box. With the ivy now gone, the batters' eye is the same color of deep blue that adorns the center field wall.

Padres News: Opening Day matchup against Bob Melvin and the SF Giants

A familiar face will be on the field for Opening Day in San Diego. Former Padres manager Bob Melvin will be in the other dugout this afternoon as the San Francisco Giants come to town. Melvin left for the Bay Area this past winter and was replaced by new manager Mike Shildt.

The Friars will send Yu Darvish to the hill for his second start of the season. Darvish went 3.2 innings in the Seoul Series and didn't allow a run. He'll be opposed by Giants starter Logan Webb. Even though San Fran signed former Padres pitcher and reigning Cy Young Award-winner Blake Snell, Melvin will send Webb to the bump for the first game of the season.

The Giants also made other key additions this offseason. Gold Glover Matt Chapman, former World Series MVP Jorge Soler, and Japanese outfielder Jung Hoo Lee all joined San Francisco this past winter. The Giants pose quite the threat to the Padres' postseason aspirations in 2024, but Pads fans are hopeful that Fernando Tatis Jr. and Co. are up to the task.

More Padres News from Friars on Base