Dodgers and Padres Meet in Anticipated Rivalry Series
The Dodgers and Padres are set to face off in a highly anticipated division rivalry series for the second time in the past three years. The last time the teams met in the playoffs was in 2022 in the NLDS when the Padres got the best of the Dodgers winning the series 3-1. Last season, the Padres missed the playoffs entirely and the Dodgers lost in the NLDS again, getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks. To get here, the Padres swept the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wild Card Series in convincing fashion, only ever trailing for one whole inning between the two games.
The Dodgers and the Padres finished the regular season with an intense battle for the NL West crown. In the second to last series of the season, the teams met in Los Angeles in a winner-take-all series. The Dodgers needed to win one game to control their destiny and two wins to be atop the NL West for good. They won two of the three games and finished the season five games above the Padres. Despite dealing with numerous injuries throughout the season, the Dodgers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball clinching home-field advantage for the entire playoffs. The Padres finished their season by taking a series from the division rival Diamondbacks to lock them out of the postseason.
The series will be filled with plenty of offensive star power. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman headline an All-Star lineup for the Dodgers. Thanks to them, the Dodgers finished the season in the top five of almost every offensive category as a team. Shohei Ohtani, the likely NL MVP, is arguably the most anticipated player to watch in the playoffs. After putting up the first-ever 50/50 season in the MLB, Ohtani will be playing in his first-ever postseason game on Saturday night. The Padres are also no stranger to offensive studs. Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado headline their All-Star lineup. Arraez made history this season becoming the first-ever player to win a batting title for three separate teams. Jurickson Profar had a career year and Jackson Merrill had a fantastic rookie campaign.
The offensive star power is something not to be looked over, but the pitching matchups are arguably the most elite of the playoffs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dylan Cease will match up in Game One on Saturday night. Cease has looked great this season as usual and Yamamoto has looked excellent after coming off the injured list with a shoulder injury. Game Two will be highlighted by Yu Darvish and trade acquisition Jack Flaherty, who has been one of the best pitchers in the NL since moving to the Dodgers. The other two starting pitchers for the Dodgers will be Walker Buehler and Landon Knack, who have both had their respective struggles but have shown high potential. The Padres will have Michael King and Martin Perez going in Games Three and Four. In Game One of the Wild Card Series, King looked excellent and is probably the strongest third starter in the playoffs. The Padres took a huge hit after Joe Musgrove was revealed to need surgery on his right elbow and hope to have the slack picked up by Perez.
The starting rotations are outstanding but the bullpens are most likely where the games will be decided. The Dodgers have had their ups and downs this season in the bullpen but started to figure it out towards the end of the season. After acquiring Michael Kopech from the White Sox, the Dodgers found themselves a lockdown closer out of the bullpen. This season for the Dodgers, he has posted a 1.13 ERA and a 0.792 WHIP. Other guys such as Anthony Banda and Blake Treinen have found themselves working into setup roles and being reliable out of the pen. The Padres on the other hand have the best bullpen in baseball. Highlighted by Jason Adam, Ranger Suarez, and Tanner Scott, the Padres’ bullpen has been electric all season long. Adam is putting up numbers even better than Kopech and even though Scott has slowed since joining San Diego, he has still been one of the best left-handed relief pitchers in baseball.
With both teams throwing out ace-caliber pitchers in Game One, it will likely come down to how well each of the bullpens can perform. In Game Two, it’s a very similar story, but Games Three, Four, and Five will rely much more on the performances of the starting pitchers. It is likely to be a higher-scoring series with both teams rolling out an All-Star lineup. Game One kicks off on Saturday night at 8:38 p.m. EST in Los Angeles with nine innings of electric baseball to follow.
