Athletics vs San Diego Padres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/22/2026

Game Time: 9:40 pm ET, Friday, May 22, 2026

Venue:  Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Athletics +113, Padres -136; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Athletics +115, Padres -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Athletics +115, Padres -140; Over/Under:  8 runs

Athletics:  25-24 (1st place, AL West)

San Diego Padres:  29-20 (2nd place, NL West)

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Athletics:  4-6 last 10

San Diego Padres:  6-4 last 10

The Athletics lost their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants 2-1. They enter this game with a 25-24 record overall and have a road record of 15-12. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Padres on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Los Angeles Angels still to be played on Thursday. The Athletics lost the series opener on Monday, won the 2nd game on Tuesday, and won the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .730 OPS. Luis Severino is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Jeffrey Springs is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-4 with a 3.93 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 3 SO on 5 hits through 6 IP against the San Francisco Giants.

The Padres are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 29-20 record overall and have a home record of 14-12. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Athletics on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 29th in the MLB with a .658 OPS. Randy Vasquez was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Walker Buehler is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-2 with a 5.01 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts on 5 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Seattle Mariners.

The current betting odds have the Athletics listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Athletics have looked good in their games this season with their 25-24 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They have been a good road team too with their 15-12 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Padres have looked really good in their games this season with their 29-20 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL West. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 14-12 home record this season. The Padres are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have looked better lately, but they have cooled off from the hot start they had. They have the worst offense in the league at the moment and they aren't going to have a great pitching matchup either. They are going with Buehler in this one and he hasn't looked good this year. He is 3-2 with a 5.02 ERA and he has been giving up a lot of runs this year. His team has had some success lately as they have won 3 games in a row now with him starting and he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start too, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year and the A's have been getting hot with their offense lately. The A's are going with Springs in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 3-4 with a 3.93 ERA and has looked better lately. His team has lost 3 games in a row now with him starting, but he only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and he will pitch better against one of the worst offenses in the league. The Athletics not only have the better pitching matchup here, they also have one of the best offenses in MLB and they have been getting hot lately, so everything points to the Athletics taking this 1st game of the series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Athletics to win this game. 

Athletics Padres Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, May 22, 2026 (9:40 pm ET start time) is Athletics 5 Padres 3.

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Athletics: 13-24 (-10.4 units) on the moneyline against NL West opponents. 122-158 (-11.4 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 86-121 (-15.2 units) on the moneyline in the first half of the season. 23-14 UNDER vs. a starting pitcher whose lasts less than 5 innings per start.

San Diego Padres: 218-166 (+30.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 114-78 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline in home games. 59-48 (+6.2 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 26-15 UNDER against AL West opponents.

Athletics:  G. Hoglund (SP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. B. Kriske (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. J. Wilson (SS) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. M. Muncy (3B) Ten Day IL - Hand. D. Clarke (CF) Ten Day IL - Foot.

San Diego Padres:  L. Campusano (C) Ten Day IL - Toe. J. Merrill (CF) Day To Day - Back. M. Waldron (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Arm. J. Cronenworth (2B) Seven Day IL - Concussion. G. Marquez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. B. Hoeing (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. N. Pivetta (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Musgrove (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Brito (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“I just think, as a team, we still have a lot of room for improvement, which is encouraging. Especially on the offensive side, with a lineup that we know we have some guys in there that are battling. - Mark Kotsay after his team’s win against the LA Angels in their game on Tuesday. 

“It's natural for anyone to press when they are trying to get out of a slump. I think we are seeing that from a couple of guys, and you know [with] early swings, and swinging at a lot of things that they don't normally swing at. It's tough. This game is a mentally tough game.” - Craig Stammen on some of his players going through a slump.

Carlos Cortes (L) RF

Shea Langeliers (R) C

Nick Kurtz (L) 1B

Brent Rooker (R) DH

Tyler Soderstrom (L) LF

Zack Gelof (R) 3B

Jeff McNeil (L) 2B

Henry Bolte (R) CF

Darell Hernaiz (R) SS

Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) 2B

Miguel Andujar (R) DH

Gavin Sheets (L) 1B

Manny Machado (R) 3B

Xander Bogaerts (R) SS

Jackson Merrill (L) CF

Nick Castellanos (R) RF

Ramón Laureano (R) LF

Freddy Fermin (R) C

Batting Average:  Michael Stefanic (.400)

Hits:  Shea Langeliers (58)

Home Runs:  Shea Langeliers (12)

RBI:  Nick Kurtz (35)

Stolen Bases:  Nick Kurtz (6)

Wins:  Aaron Civale (5)

Saves:  Hogan Harris (4)

ERA:  Brooks Kriske (0.00)

Batting Average:  Miguel Andujar (.290)

Hits:  Xander Bogaerts (43)

Home Runs:  Gavin Sheets (9)

RBI:  Xander Bogaerts (23)

Stolen Bases:  Fernando Tatis (12)

Wins:  Randy Vásquez (5)

Saves:  Mason Miller (15)

ERA:  Yuki Matsui (0.00)

Managers:

Athletics: Mark Kotsay (5th season)

San Diego Padres: Craig Stammen (1st season)