A bevy of moves on the onset of the season raised the expectations for the San Diego Padres. Hours after firing Bud Black as manager the Padres host the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. San Diego (32-33) became a trendy pick to compete with San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West title after acquiring James Shields, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton before the season got underway.