After dropping the series opener, the Los Angeles Dodgers bounced back with two commanding wins over the San Diego Padres, cementing their place at the top of the National League. The Dodgers have now claimed the NL West division title in 11 of the last 12 seasons, with the lone exception being 2021, when the San Francisco Giants surged to a 107-win season seemingly out of nowhere.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!During this period, the Dodgers have seen mixed results in the postseason. They’ve exited in the NLDS six times, fallen in the NLCS twice, lost in the World Series twice, and won the World Series once—during the shortened 2020 season.
Currently, the Dodgers hold a narrow one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the top seed in the National League. They will face the Colorado Rockies in their final series of the regular season, with hopes of securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
As for the Padres, who needed a sweep to remain in contention for the division crown, they have already clinched a postseason berth. However, their work is far from over. This weekend, they head to Chase Field to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, a crucial series that will determine their Wild Card position. With San Diego leading Arizona by three games, a Diamondbacks sweep would give Arizona the season-series win and vault them into the #1 Wild Card spot, potentially pushing the Padres down to the 3rd Wild Card seed.
Understanding the stakes, the Padres have moved Yu Darvish up in the rotation to start Friday’s series opener. Darvish, who has been hampered by injuries this season, has made just 15 starts but has been stellar when available. The Padres boast an 11-4 record in his starts, with Darvish posting a 3.18 ERA and recording 74 strikeouts across 61 innings.
Darvish also brings extensive experience against the Diamondbacks, having started 18 games against them in his career. Over those matchups, he has compiled an 8-4 record and a 3.44 ERA.
The Diamondbacks will counter with Merrill Kelly in Game 1. Since 2019, Kelly has dominated the Padres, posting a 9-3 record and a 3.05 ERA in 15 starts against San Diego, five of which were shutouts.
