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After sweeping the visiting Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card round, the San Diego Padres advance to face their NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a National League Division Series for the third time in five years. San Diego won the season series 8-5, but the Dodgers took 2-of-3 in late September. Game 1 of this series will be in Los Angeles on Saturday night, with first pitch at 8:38 PM ET.
Read all about both teams coming into this series, as well our Game 1 picks, below:
The Padres are as hot as any team in baseball, going 43-20 in the second half of the season before sweeping the Braves in the Wild Card round. Despite going 93-69, the Padres finished five games behind the Dodgers and were relegated to a Wild Card spot again. They won their third straight Wild Card series and are looking to beat Los Angeles in the Division Series round for the second time in three seasons.
Michael King, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Higashioka sparked San Diego in its first game against the Braves. King tossed seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits and striking out 12. Tatis Jr. put the Padres ahead for good in the first inning with a two-run homer, and Higashioka added a sacrifice fly and solo home run himself in the 4-0 victory.
A five-run outburst in the second inning gave the Padres all the ammunition they needed in a 5-4 Game 2 victory. Higashioka homered again while Jackson Merrill added a two-run triple and Manny Machado contributed a two-run double. Joe Musgrove exited early with right elbow tightness for San Diego, and the Padres bullpen held off a Braves rally, allowing three runs on five hits in 5.1 innings of work to seal the series.
The Dodgers are making their 12th straight appearance in the postseason and won the NL West for the 11th time during that stretch. However, the team has only won the World Series once in that period, during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. The Dodgers have lost their last three playoff series, including two straight as favorites in the NLDS round.
Los Angeles went 42-23 in the second half of the season, nearly matching the Padres’ prowess. The story all season has been the monumental campaign posted by Dodgers newcomer Shohei Ohtani, who became the first 50-50 man in Major League history, posting 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, 130 RBIs and a National League-leading 1.036 OPS.
Lost in Ohtani’s massive season was fellow free agent signee Teoscar Hernandez, who came over from the Seattle Mariners and had 33 home runs and 99 RBIs. In a sign of the times, and thanks to several injuries, nine Dodgers pitchers had at least five wins, but none more than Gavin Stone’s 11.
Jack Flaherty, who came over from the Detroit Tigers in a trade, takes the hill for the Dodgers in Game 1 on Saturday night. Flaherty went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 10 starts for Los Angeles. His last outing of the regular season was a five-inning no-decision against the Padres. He allowed three runs on four hits.
Although not official yet, the Padres should counter with Dylan Cease, who was slated to start Game 3 against the Braves in the Wild Card round if necessary. Cease came over from the Chicago White Sox and promptly led San Diego with 14 wins, tied for fourth in the National League. His 224 strikeouts were tied for second in the league and he posted a 3.47 ERA in a career-high 189.1 innings pitched.
Cease posted a no-decision against the Dodgers in his final regular-season outing, allowing three runs on five hits in five innings.
The Padres counter the Dodgers’ lineup of Ohtani, Hernandez, and Mookie Betts with Manny Machado (.275, 29 home runs, 105 RBIs), Jurickson Profar, Jake Cronenworth, Tatis Jr and rookie sensation Jackson Merrill, who finished what should be a Rookie of the Year campaign batting .292 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs. Given San Diego’s talent and the way they ended the regular season, they look more than capable of pulling the upset in Game 1.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.