Padres Hold Off Athletics

Jake Cronenworth of the Padres celebrating a home run against the Athletics

Photo by Sergio Estrada/Getty Images

April 7, 2025

Padres 5, Athletics 4

The Athletics fought back valiantly from a four-run deficit but could not catch the San Diego Padres, who held on for a 5–4 victory Monday night at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California. With the loss, the Athletics still have yet to win a game in their 2025 home.

Athletics – Padres Game Summary

The Padres surged to a 3–0 lead with one out in the top of the first after three straight extra-base hits off Luis Severino. Luis Arraez doubled to left and scored on a bloop Manny Machado double to shallow center. JJ Bleday attempted a diving catch on the play but could not hang on. Jake Cronenworth brought Machado home with a two-run homer to right-center.

It became a 4–0 game in the top of the third after a one-out Arraez single and follow-up double from Machado. With two outs in the bottom half, the Athletics made the score 4–1 on a Tyler Soderstrom solo home run.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Athletics pulled within a run after an RBI double by Max Muncy and an RBI infield single by Lawrence Butler. The Padres made the score 5–3 in the top of the seventh after a tape-measure homer to left by Fernando Tatis Jr. A half-inning later, Soderstrom made it 5–4 with another solo homer, completing the scoring.

What Went Right for the Athletics

Stayed in the Game

Despite the rough first inning, the Athletics fought back to within one run on two separate occasions.

Hitting

The Athletics cracked ten hits in the game. Three players — Soderstrom, Muncy, and Jacob Wilson — had multi-hit games.

Defense

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Some impressive defensive plays helped keep the Athletics in the game. In the third, Gavin Sheets ripped a liner down the right-field line, but Soderstrom lunged to his left to catch it and strand a runner at third. Muncy ended the top half of the fifth with a leaping grab of a Machado liner, stranding a runner at second. Wilson opened the eighth with a slick backhand deep in the hole to rob Machado of a single. His jump throw and a nice stretch-and-scoop by Soderstrom capped off the play.

What Went Wrong for the Athletics

Fell in an Early Hole

The Athletics once again fell behind early, this time by four runs. In all four West Sacramento games they’ve played, they have given up multiple runs in either the first or second inning. Against the Chicago Cubs in the previous home series, the Athletics yielded four in the first inning, three in the first inning, then four in the second inning in games one, two, and three, respectively.

Swinging Friars Slugged the Baseball

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Of the nine Padres hits, six went for extra bases. Furthermore, all four runners the Padres left on base were in scoring position.

On an individual level, the first three hitters in the Padres batting order — Tatis, Arraez, and Machado — had two hits apiece. They collectively scored four of the Padres’ five runs.

Quick Hits

The Athletics have yet to hold a lead at home in 2025. … Soderstrom is the third player in Athletics history with two multi-homer games within the team’s first 11 games. The others were Joe Hauser (1928) and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (1974). (Source: MLB Research Team via Martin Gallegos on X, formerly Twitter) … With their two homers from Soderstrom, the Athletics extended their season-opening streak of games with at least one homer. It is a franchise record. … Soderstrom has six homers on the season and is tied with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees for the major-league lead. … Wilson’s 11-game season-opening hitting streak is the longest by an Athletic since Billy Butler’s 12-gamer to open the 2015 season. … This is the third time the Padres have ever started a season 9–2. The previous two seasons were 1984 and 1998, when they won their only two pennants.

Looking Ahead

Michael King (2–0) earned the win, and Severino (0–2) took the loss. Robert Suarez pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save of the season.

The Athletics (4–7) and Padres (9–2) will play the second game of their three-game set Tuesday night. Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (1–1, 4.00 ERA) will face Padres right-hander Dylan Cease (1–0, 3.38 ERA). First pitch will be at 7:05 pm Pacific.