San Diego Padres vs Oakland Athletics Prediction, Preview & Odds - August 4, 2021

by Chuck Sommers

Tuesday, Aug 03, 2021
Game time: 3:37 p.m. ET
Venue: Oakland Coliseum; Oakland, CA
Where to watch: Bally Sports San Diego, NBCSCA, MLBN

Season-to-date
Padres: 61-47 (3rd place, NL West)
Athletics: 60-47 (2nd place, AL West)

Projected lineups


Padres:
Tommy Pham (R) LF
Adam Frazier (L) 2B
Manny Machado (R) DH
Jake Cronenworth (L) 1B
Wil Myers (R) RF
Austin Nola (R) C
Jurickson Profar (S) SS
Jake Marisnick (R) CF
Ha-Seong Kim (R) 3B
SP - Joe Musgrove (R)

Athletics:
Mark Canha (R) LF
Starling Marte (R) CF
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Jed Lowrie (S) DH
Ramon Laureano (R) RF
Yan Gomes (R) C
Josh Harrison (R) 2B
Matt Chapman (R) 3B
Elvis Andrus (R) SS
SP - Frankie Montas ®

Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings: Padres -115, Athletics -105

Recent form
Padres: Lost three of five entering Tuesday
Athletics: Winners of four of five entering Tuesday, outsourcing opponents 24-8

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Padres - Athletics Preview


It’s a trying time if you’re a San Diego Padres fan.

The Padres are still in good position to make the playoffs. It would take a drastic collapse for that to not happen.

That collapse is very well within reach if All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is out longer than anticipated. The San Diego superstar injured his shoulder over the weekend and was placed on the 10-day IL. Padres manager Jayce Tingler said that end-of-season surgery is “on the table” should that be a possibility.

So that drastic collapse is on the table, and the Padres will need to navigate through the weeds without their star. The Padres complete a short two-game series stint against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

San Diego just wrapped up a six-game homestand at Petco Park, going an even 3-3. The Padres dropped two of three over the weekend to the Colorado Rockies; they avoided a sweep with an 8-1 win on Sunday.

The onus on San Diego making a charge up the standings without Tatis Jr. falls on All-Star third baseman Manny Machado. The slugger has turned back the clock the past 10 games, looking like the Machado of Baltimore past; he’s batting .351 with four home runs since July 22.

Entering Tuesday, the Padres are seven games back of the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West while currently holding the second wild card spot. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a 3.5-game lead for home-field advantage in the play-in, but the Padres need to be weary of the Cincinnati Reds (four games back, 7-3 in their last 10).

The Athletics also hold the second wild card spot in their respective league. Oakland trails the Houston Astros by 4.5 games for first place in the American League West. And just in case you were curious, the Dodgers and Astros are in the midst of a two-game set and epic World Series rematch. Important baseball on both sides of this spectrum.

Oakland is coming off an impressive stretch at Los Angeles, winning three of four against the Angels. Considering they had just lost four in a row, three of them to the Seattle Mariners, that’s a fair rebound. After wrapping up the set against San Diego, the A’s will welcome the Texas Rangers to the Coliseum for a three-game series.

Oakland centerfielder Starling Marte has been a fine addition for the A’s since coming over from the Miami Marlins. The 32-year-old right-handed bat is batting .313 with four stolen bases in four games with Oakland. He might not be the difference maker in terms of hitting the baseball out of the park, but he’ll provide ample opportunity to bring in some runs.

Trends


The loss of Tatis Jr. certainly hurts the Padres in the books. On Tuesday, the Padres were a whopping +140 underdog. San Diego is 7-12 (-3.6 units) when they’re an underdog of +100 or higher this season, and 5-9 on the road.

Oakland, meanwhile, is 42-27 (+4.7 units) when it’s a favorite of -110 or higher. Keep an eye on that number after Tuesday’s game. Pending on the result and how well Blake Snell goes for San Diego, that could dictate a lot.

Prediction


I think the loss of Tatis Jr. is going to hurt in the short term. Machado can provide the runs and the power in the immediate future, but they’ll need others to pick up the pace. Wil Myers is one to also keep a lookout for. The A’s seem just more trustworthy in this situation, especially at home. Athletics win outright, under cashes.

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Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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