The San Diego Padres continue their first road trip of 2025 with a visit to Sacramento to face the Athletics.

This will be the first time the Padres play games in California’s capital city, the A’s temporary home until 2027. The two teams will play three games.

The team formerly known as the Oakland A’s is calling Sutter Health Park home until its move to Las Vegas becomes official. The park is officially the home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. The stadium can hold just north of 14,000 people.

The A’s were swept by the Chicago Cubs in their first Sactown series. Chicago embarrassed them in their Sacramento debut, 18-3.

The A’s, playing without a city’s name in their title, are 4-6.

The Padres, on the other hand, lost 2-of-3 to the Cubs in the chilly Midwest. They escaped the Windy City with a win on April 6. They will see better weather in Northern California. Game-time temperatures will be in the 60s.

A’s owner John Fisher spent money this past winter after pinching pennies in Oakland. The team gave Luis Severino the largest contract in franchise history: 3 years and $67 million. The A’s also signed former Padres top prospect Luis Urias.

The Padres swept the A’s last season and in 2023. San Diego has won 8 of the last 10 meetings.

Pitching Matchups

Michael King returns to the bump in the first game. Severino will make his third start for the Athletics. Following King is Dylan Cease, who will pitch opposite of Jeffrey Springs. Randy Vasquez, who has held his own in the Padres’ rotation through two starts, will face off with Osvaldo Bido.

The Padres have met Severino twice in his career. He has a 1.54 ERA against the Friars. Their most recent meeting was last season when Severino started a game in August for the New York Mets. He allowed one run over five innings and struck out five Padres.

Springs lasted just three innings in his first home start for the Athletics. He allowed five runs against the Cubs. In his last start, Bido allowed two runs in five innings against the Colorado Rockies.

Athletics pitchers

Severino features a six-pitch arsenal. He throws a steady mix of the four-seam fastball (34% usage), sweeper (27%), and sinker (22%). He averages mid-90s velocity with his fastball and sinker. His cutter averages 93 mph. Severino also throws a slider and changeup.

Severino’s fastball and sweeper are his best pitches, generating a 36% and 38.6% Whiff%, respectively. Springs relies heavily on his four-seamer (48% usage). His most reliable pitch appears to be his changeup, which has a 44.4% Whiff% in 2025.

Bido throws a mid-90s sinker, a low-90s four-seam fastball, and a mid-80s cutter. Despite the low velocity with the cutter, hitters swing and miss nearly half the time (44.4%).

Athletics hitters

The A’s are hitting .238 as a team, seventh best in the American League. Tyler Soderstrom has a 1.123 OPS through 10 games with four home runs and a .359 batting average. Shea Langaliers is right behind him with a .953 OPS.

Brent Rooker has flashed his power by hitting four home runs in 10 games. However, he is hitting just .222 with a .239 on-base percentage. Lawrence Butler has been reliable for getting on base so far this season (.386 OBP). The same can be said for Miguel Andujar (.367 OBP).

The Athletics’ lineup could look something like this against the Padres:

1. Lawrence Butler — RF
2. Brent Rooker — DH
3. JJ Bleday — CF
4. Tyler Soderstrom — 1B
5. Jacob Wilson — SS
6. Miguel Andujar — LF
7. Gio Urshela — 3B
8. Jhonny Pereda — C
9. Max Muncy — 2B

Padres fans might look at the name Max Muncy with confusion. This is not the Max Muncy who plays third base for the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. This Muncy is a rookie for the Athletics.

Keys to the series

For the Athletics:

Don’t let the Padres find their swagger: When San Diego hitters find their confidence at the plate, they create problems for opposing teams. San Diego is third in Major League Baseball with a .285 batting average. They are known to work counts and force pitchers to make mistakes. The Athletics’ pitchers will want to work quickly and not let the Padres frustrate them.

Protect the home away from home: The Athletics have not yet won a game in Sacramento. They’ve played only three but lost all of them in humiliating fashion. Sacramentans are being treated to see a MLB team in their city. If that MLB team can’t win at home, it won’t be the most popular baseball team in town. They are competing with a Triple-A team for attendance. No MLB team wants to be in that position.

For the Padres: 

Give the bullpen a break: The Padres’ bullpen pitched 16.1 innings in three games against the Cubs. While the relievers stepped up, it can’t happen on a nightly basis. King, Cease, and Vasquez pitching six or more innings in each game would give the bullpen a chance to catch their breath. They certainly need it.

Play with a lead: The Padres held a lead for just a half-inning of their last three games. They were in control in their first seven games of the season. In Chicago, they found themselves playing from behind. Playing the Athletics gives the offense a chance to get back to playing their brand of baseball. Take control early by being patient at the plate and waiting for their pitch.

The Padres and Athletics begin their three-game set on April 7 at 7:10 p.m. PDT.

Mike Ursery

Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.