The San Diego Padres host the Athletics on May 24, 2026. First pitch from Petco Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on NBCS-CA.
The Padres are favored by -162 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Athletics are +136 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Athletics vs Padres prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Athletics vs Padres Prediction
Athletics vs Padres Picks:
- Padres F5 ML
- Fernando Tatis Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs
Athletics vs Padres Odds
| Athletics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -156 | 8.5 -100o / -122u | +136 |
| Padres Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +130 | 8.5 -100o / -122u | -162 |
Athletics vs Padres MLB Betting Preview
The Padres will host the Athletics on Sunday afternoon in the last of a three-game set at Petco Park in San Diego.
Right-hander Michael King will take the mound for the Friars, with 28-year-old lefty Jacob Lopez expected to be on the bump for the visiting Athletics.
Despite showing some signs of promise towards the end of last season with the Athletics’ lefty having barely missed a sub-4 ERA to conclude his 2025 campaign, Lopez has been unable to replicate his former successes yet this season.
Across Lopez’s first ten outings in 2026, the Athletics’ left-hander has recorded a whopping 6.14 ERA to go along with an equally poor 1.80 WHIP thus far.
For a ball club that appears to be trending in the right direction thanks to its sizable young talent within both its lineup and pitching staff, Lopez has performed far worse than what is to be expected from a starter in their rotation.
On the other hand, the Padres’ 30-year-old right-hander is having a phenomenal 2026 campaign thus far, as King currently ranks inside the top-10 in baseball with an impressive 2.31 ERA over his first ten starts of the season.
For a World Series contender who will most definitely need elite arms in the postseason, the Friars have one of the most consistent starting pitchers in all of baseball over the last five years.
Aside from a rocky Major League debut with the Yankees in 2020, King has recorded an ERA less than 3.55 in each of his last six seasons with the Padres, with the righty having concluded four of those years with an ERA below 3.
King has also boasted an extremely impressive 1.14 WHIP on average across his seven seasons pitching in the Big Leagues.
In an interleague clash in which the home Friars have a massive advantage in the pitching department, I feel great backing the Padres on their first-five (F5) moneyline as I expect King to build upon his elite 2026 form.
I will also be looking to take advantage of the Padres' favorable edge in Sunday’s contest by backing their 27-year-old superstar, Fernando Tatis Jr., to find success at the plate versus Lopez.
Despite the Dominican being in the worst slump of his entire career, San Diego’s slugger is beyond due to find his rhythm at the plate and gets a very ideal matchup on Sunday afternoon versus a struggling left-handed pitcher who is very susceptible to allowing heavy contact to righties.
While Lopez’s four-seam fastball is quite effective versus lefties, he has consistently given up a disproportionately high hard-hit rate to right-handed power hitters.
That said, I favor backing Fernando to exceed his 1.5 HRR mark in a game I expect the Friars to have runners on the basepaths quite frequently.
Picks: Padres F5 ML | Fernando Tatis o1.5 HRR
