Thursday, December 5

Dodgers’ objectives for important San Diego series? Win department, and match Padres’ strength

The Padres swept the Dodgers in a two-game set the last time the groups squared off at the end of July. The Dodgers start Tuesday’s series holding a three-game lead over San Diego. (Denis Poroy/ Associated Press)

There has actually been a running belief around some individuals within the Dodgers company in current seasons, a theory about their Southern California competitors that grew 2 Octobers earlier and has actually been crystalized in a tightly-contested department race this year.

When the Dodgers play the San Diego Padres, they appear to usually get the Padres’ finest.

And when the competition ratchets up, the Padres’ strength tends to go greatest.

It was definitely real in the 2022 playoffs, when the underdog Padres stormed to a four-game National League Division Series win over an 111-win juggernaut Dodgers team.

It manifested more discreetly in 2015, with the Dodgers required to grind out a variety of close competition video game wins regardless of completing well ahead of the Padres in the standings.

And it has actually been undoubtedly clear up until now this season, one in which the Padres have actually taken 7 of 10 head-to-head matches and cut a when nine-game department lead for the Dodgers to simply 3 getting in the season’s last week.

“They’ve had their method with us approximately this point,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated Sunday.

Ahead of an essential three-game set versus the Padres this week at Dodger Stadium that kicks off Tuesday night, Roberts not just highlighted the vibrant– however challenged his group to provide a reaction.

“I believe it’s quite simple to see that when we’ve played them, I believe 10 times this year, they came out more extreme than we did,” Roberts stated. “And that’s got to alter. I anticipate it to alter. Playing those guys– in definitely really, really significant video games– will highlight the very best in us.”

Or two Roberts can just hope.

Significant may be an understatement for what’s at stake today.

Learn more: Shaikin: Beat L.A.? The Padres could. Here’s how AJ Preller and Co. made that possible

If the Dodgers win the series, they’ll clinch their 3rd straight NL West title and 11th in the previous 12 years, and highly likely ensure themselves of a necessary first-round bye.

By winning among the 3 video games, the Dodgers would still manage their own fate going into the season’s last weekend– though they ‘d have work staying with a magic number of 2 entering into their closing series versus the Colorado Rockies.

And if the Dodgers get swept by the Padres, they ‘d unexpectedly be on the back foot: Technically connected for the department lead with 3 video games to go, however understanding they ‘d lost any end-of-season tiebreaker for the department title since San Diego has actually currently clinched the edge in head-to-head record (the very first time they’ve done that versus the Dodgers given that 2010).

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