Sutter Health Park- West Sacramento

Following a chilly series in Chicago, the Padres traveled out to Sacramento to face the Athletics.

The intimate setting of the A’s temporary Triple-A field was just what San Diego needed. In the clear, high-60’s weather, the Friars knocked in five runs on nine hits, including a pair of homers.

Luis Severino made his third start for the Athletics after he inked a three-year deal with the club this winter. He avoided giving out free passes but allowed hard contact, giving up eight batted balls of 95+ MPH exit velocity.

Fernando Tatis Jr. nearly jumpstarted the offense, sending the first pitch of the ballgame to the warning track. Quickly afterwards, back-to-back doubles from Luis Arraez and Manny Machado plated a run. A pitch later, Jake Cronenworth connected on his second long ball of the season to put up a three-spot in the first. The big swing was refreshing to the offense, which struggled to string together hits against the Cubs last weekend.

Jake the Rake pic.twitter.com/iBvs0HHgpP

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 8, 2025

Michael King cruised through his first two innings, working around a couple of first-inning walks with the help of a double play. Popular breakout candidate Tyler Soderstrom laced a solo homer in the third before things got dicey in the fourth. A pair of soft singles to start the inning set the table for the (rookie) infielder Max Muncy, who shot a double to left to drive in one to make it 4-2. The next at-bat was a frustrating one for King. He worked a 2-2 count against Lawrence Butler before he poked a changeup softly to short for an infield single. The Padres’ ace settled in after that, inducing five straight groundouts. He nearly made it six, but Machado failed to come up with the hot shot, and King exited after five and two-thirds.

Adrian Morejon took to the mound for the final out of the sixth and struck out Lawrence Butler on three pitches. In the top of the seventh, A’s manager Mark Kotsay decided to stick with Severino. The move came back to bite him, as Tatis Jr. launched a mistake slider out of the ballpark to provide the Friars with some insurance.

Con todo mi equipo aquí, mе siento padre como @tatis_jr pic.twitter.com/R72pbBW2G3

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 8, 2025

In the eighth, Jeremiah Estrada got a quick out before Tyler Soderstrom homered once more. He sent a 98 MPH, belt-high fastball over Tatis Jr. to pull the Athletics within a run. Jason Adam served his usual eighth inning, securing the hold and sending the 5-4 game into the ninth. Adam allowed a hit, but Elias Díaz fired a laser to catch Max Schuemann trying to steal second.

The bottom of the order went scoreless in the ninth, staying on theme with the night. The Padres’ 7, 8, and 9 hitters went 1-12 with just a single to show for it. Robert Suarez took the ball for the ninth and worked a stress-free frame to close the win for San Diego, picking up his fifth save of the year.

San Diego improved to 9-2 with the win, moving into first place in the NL West after losses by the Giants and Dodgers earlier today. With two more contests against the A’s and the Rockies coming into town this weekend, San Diego has a good opportunity to extend that lead.

Following the win, Mike Shildt praised Michael King, reassuring what looked like an unlucky outing for the right-hander. Shildt also spoke to Tatis Jr.’s outstanding start to the season. “He’s getting his pitches, using the whole field, not doing too much, he’s taking his walks”. Tatis’s OPB of .449 ranks fifth in the National League, and with his crucial home run today, he’s doing real damage out of the leadoff spot.

Game two of the three-game set will feature another veteran, Jeffrey Springs, on the mound for the A’s, while Dylan Cease will get the ball for San Diego. The first pitch is set for 7:05 PM.

Willy Warren

A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a combination of around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X, and daily newsletters on the TikTok platform. Willy passionately studies Journalism at San Dieguito Academy, and is working to become billingual in Spanish to assist in communicating with Latin-born players and coaches.