Cease Can Mow Down Athletics Hitters

Padres vs. Athletics, 10:05 ET

After an absolutely brutal stretch, I was able to capture a couple of wins on the diamond yesterday. The total was too low in the Cubs vs. Rangers game and we were able to get that one by the skin of our teeth as the Cubs did all of the scoring winning the game 7-0. In the next game I played the Royals and Twins didn't get offense going and that helped me quite a bit as we had the under in that game. Two games, two wins, that's the goal every day. Let's see if it can happen here as the Padres take on the Athletics. 

The Padres are having an amazing start to the season with a 9-2 record - in fact, their only two losses were against the aforementioned Cubs team. The Padres are racking up the hits to this point in the year and collectively they are batting .282. I will say for as successful as they've been, the runs are fairly low at just 51 runs per game. The two losses that they've had this season were both games where they only scored one run. The pitching staff has been very impressive as well. They are throwing to a 2.88 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Opponents are only hitting .190 against them as well. They send out Dylan Cease to the mound today. Cease has shown flashes of greatness for the Padres, but he has had some blips as well. In his two games this season, Cease has thrown 10.2 innings and allowed a total of four earned runs. He has struck out seven hitters in both games. Against Athletics hitters, he been strong with just nine hits allowed in 45 at-bats. 18 of those at-bats ended in a strikeout. 

Mar 31, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; A detail view of the Sacramento patch the Athletics are wearing during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

There were quite a few people that thought there would be some excitement for the Athletics this season. It is still early, but the young team hasn't looked great yet. They are just 4-7 for the season and none of those wins have come in their new home field in Sacramento. The team hasn't been terrible overall, they are hitting .242 for the season which isn't bad, and they only have six fewer runs than the Padres. It seems that the majority of their scoring is done by the long ball, and I am guessing that most are solo shots. They have 18 homers in 11 games, but only 45 runs. Their pitching has been really bad though which is the reason they are losing games. They have a 5.60 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP as a team, and opposing hitters are batting .272 against them. Tonight they put Jeffrey Springs on the mound. In his first two starts of the season, he has gone nine innings and allowed four earned runs. In the season opener, he went six innings and allowed no runs. In the second game, he lasted just three innings and allowed four earned runs. He doesn't have extensive history against the Padres, but he has held them to just two hits in 16 at-bats. 

The game isn't one that I have a great feel for at the moment. The Padres are playing good baseball and I think have the better pitcher, so they probably should win this one. I lean toward it, but I feel more confident in the strikeout total for Cease. Slightly over a third of the at-bats are ending in strikeouts against Cease. I think he can easily get to seven strikeouts again the way the Athletics are hitting. I'll take him at 7+ strikeouts. 

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