Padres vs Braves Picks and Prediction – 5/23/2025

The San Diego Padres open a three-game series on the road Friday versus the Atlanta Braves. San Diego dropped to 27-20 following its 14-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. San Diego was swept by Toronto in a three-game series and has lost five straight. San Diego is third in the National League West, 2 ½ games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Keep up to date with all the MLB action with our MLB previews.

Manny Machado is batting .314 with 54 hits and a .383 on-base percentage to lead the Padres in the three categories. Fernando Tatis Jr is the leader in home runs with 12 and RBI with 27. San Diego is batting .257 and has a .389 slugging percentage. On Friday, the Padres will send Nick Pivetta to the mound. The right-hander is 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA, 56 Ks, and 15 BBs.

The Atlanta Braves dropped to 24-24 following a 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Atlanta’s game on Wednesday was postponed and will be made up at a later date. Atlanta has lost two of the last three and is third in the National League East, 6 ½ games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies. 

Austin Riley is batting .283 with 28 RBI and 56 hits to lead Atlanta in the three categories. Matt Olson is the leader in home runs with 10, and Marcell Ozuna leads the Braves in on-base percentage at .416. Atlanta is .246 with a .390 slugging percentage. On Friday, Atlanta will send Chris Sale to the mound. The left-hander is 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA, 72 Ks, and 15 BBs.

Atlanta has won six of the last eight, and San Diego has lost each of its last five. Atlanta has a starter on the mound who has thrown well over the last month. San Diego starter Nick Pivetta is coming off a strong outing, allowing just one run on two hits across six innings. However, Atlanta starter Chris Sale has had five consecutive solid outings, allowing six runs on 28 hits across 31.1 innings. Final Score Prediction: Atlanta Braves win 5-2.