Hot Padres out to take advantage of A’s hitter-friendly park

If their 8-7 road win against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday is any indication, the San Diego Padres will be a resilient, dogged team again in 2025.

“We just have it in us,” right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “We’re just going to come back. We’re going to find a way to create runs. We’re going to hit the ball out of the park. We can move runners, beat out ground-ball double plays, make adjustments. We’re just going to find a way.”

San Diego will look to find a way to another win on Monday night when it starts a three-game series with the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.

A collection of the Padres’ 93 wins in 2024 came after they had fallen multiple runs behind. Their victory on Sunday came after they trailed 7-3 and saw starter Kyle Hart get knocked out in the first inning. But they came alive offensively with 13 hits, including four from Luis Arraez, and took advantage of a big mistake.

An error by first baseman Justin Turner on a potential double-play ball off Manny Machado’s bat in the top of the ninth allowed Tatis to sprint home from second with the winning run.

“We always feel like we’re in the ballgame,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “And clearly, we displayed that today. We just kept grinding, man.”

The Padres might have to go into grind mode Monday night against Athletics right-hander Luis Severino (0-1, 3.75 ERA), who is coming off a 7-4 loss against the Cubs Tuesday night. Severino was tagged for six runs (five earned), on six hits and three walks in six innings, striking out six. But he’s 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in two career starts against San Diego.

Severino and the Athletics are hoping their second series in their new digs at Sutter Health Park goes much better than the first. They were outscored 35-9 by the Cubs last week, allowing eight home runs. The longtime home of the San Francisco Giants Triple-A franchise features a much better hitting environment than the Coliseum in Oakland, an adjustment the Athletics’ pitching staff has to make sooner instead of later.

“First time playing here, a lot of home runs,” Athletics starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs said. “If you can get the ball in the air, it seems like it’s going to go. You’ve got to pitch no matter what the conditions are or where we’re at.”

The Athletics’ offense enjoyed the weekend in Denver, where it took two of three games from Colorado and blasted five homers while averaging six runs per game. Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom each belted long balls during a 12-5 loss on Sunday.

“We like our offense,” said designated hitter Brent Rooker, who cracked a career-high 39 homers last year and already has four in 2025. “I think we’re just going to continue to get better.”

They’ll get tested by Padres right-hander Michael King (1-0, 3.52) in the series opener. He’s coming off a 7-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night that saw him strike out 11 in five innings while allowing just two hits and a walk.

King has struck out 14 in 6 1/3 innings over two career outings against the Athletics with a 2.84 ERA and no decisions.

–Field Level Media