NL West up for grabs as Padres, Dodgers meet in LA

NL West up for grabs as Padres, Dodgers meet in LA

September 23rd, 2024

LOS ANGELES -- The Padres staged a dramatic eighth-inning comeback on Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers upstaged them with a wild ninth-inning rally, featuring back-to-back home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.

And now, the stage is set.

The two fierce Southern California rivals begin a three-game series in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. If the Dodgers win the series, they win the division. If the Padres sweep it, they’ll sit atop the National League West for the first time since their home opener.

As regular-season series go, they don’t get much bigger than this one.

“It’ll be fun,” Betts said. “I’m sure [there will be] a lot of emotions and whatnot, so it’ll be fun. These are the games we dream of playing.”

On June 20, the Dodgers led the division by a season-high nine games. But the Padres have gone an MLB-best 40-17 since the All-Star break -- and they’ve now won eight of their past nine. With L.A.’s loss to the Rockies on Saturday, San Diego seized control of its own destiny in the NL West race for the first time since mid-August.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position to go and play for the division,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “That’s what we’ve been working toward.”

Here’s what you need to know about this week’s pivotal series:

When are the games and how can I watch?

First pitch for all three games is slated for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m. ET.

All three games will be carried locally -- on Sportsnet LA in Los Angeles and on Padres.TV. Additionally, Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on TBS and Wednesday's game will be broadcast on MLB Network.

What’s at stake?

A division title -- and almost certainly a bye to the NL Division Series. (Both teams are ahead of the Brewers, currently the third-placed division winner, and both teams own the tiebreaker over Milwaukee.)

The Dodgers would win the division outright by winning the series -- their 11th NL West title in 12 seasons. Even if they drop two of three, they would still hold a two-game lead with three to play.

But if the Padres sweep L.A., they would control their own destiny and head to Arizona needing only to match the Dodgers’ weekend results in Colorado to win their first division title in 18 years.

What happened when these two teams met earlier this season?

The two sides opened the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea, and it has been the Padres who have dominated the season series up to this point.

After splitting the series in Seoul, the Padres have won every other series this season and have won seven of the 10 meetings between the two teams. Regardless of what happens in the upcoming three-game set at Dodger Stadium, the Padres will own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Why is it significant that the Padres have already won the season series?

If the Padres and Dodgers finish the regular season with the same record, there’s no longer a Game 163 to determine the division winner. Instead, the tiebreaker is determined by head-to-head record. Therefore, if the Dodgers and Padres end the season with the same record, San Diego would be crowned the NL West champion.

How do the rotations line up for this series?

Tuesday: vs.
Wednesday: vs.
Thursday: vs.

In no uncertain terms, King, Cease and Musgrove are the Padres’ three best pitchers right now. They’ve combined to post a 0.70 ERA in their last two turns through the rotation.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have gotten very little production out of their starting rotation over the last month. Outside of Flaherty, who has turned out to be a key addition at the Trade Deadline, the Dodgers are still searching for answers in the rotation. Knack and Buehler have been inconsistent this season, but they’re going to be called to pitch big games the rest of the way. That starts this week at Dodger Stadium.

How fresh is each bullpen?

Both teams are coming off Monday off-days, which means their bullpens should be especially fresh. The Padres are facing questions in the closer spot, with Robert Suarez having struggled recently. But their bullpen has still been one of the best in baseball since adding Tanner Scott and Jason Adam at the Trade Deadline.

Given the struggles in the starting rotation, the Dodgers’ bullpen has been used heavily over the last couple of months. That ‘pen has fared well recently but has been relied upon much more than anticipated.

What’s the recent history between these two teams at Dodger Stadium?

The Padres won two of three games in a tense and eventful series in Los Angeles in April. After Jurickson Profar sparked a benches-clearing incident in Game 2 of that series, Dodgers catcher Will Smith called him “sort of irrelevant” in a postgame interview.

A day later, Profar hit a decisive three-run double -- and that was the first sign of the All-Star-caliber campaign to come. Profar has been one of the Padres’ most valuable players this season -- and his teammates consistently wear shirts with Profar’s image and the word “relevant” underneath. Smith has since apologized for those remarks.

In any case, things typically get feisty when the Padres and Dodgers meet in L.A., with just over 100 miles separating the two ballparks.

Are there any injuries of note?

The Dodgers are dealing with a ton of injuries, particularly in their starting rotation. Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone are out for the season, and it’s unclear when, or if, Clayton Kershaw will make it back in time for the club’s postseason run.

In stark contrast, the Padres remain remarkably healthy, with shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (right shoulder inflammation) the only member of a projected postseason roster on the injured list. Meanwhile, Fernando Tatis Jr., Musgrove and Yu Darvish -- each of whom missed significant time earlier this year -- have all been important contributors since rejoining the Padres.

“We’re chasing right down their backs right now,” Musgrove said last weekend. “Physically, I know they’re not where they want to be. But that’s how it goes. We lost plenty of guys throughout the course of the season and managed to stay above water -- and keep ourselves in position.”

Indeed, the Padres have kept themselves in position to win the West. But the Dodgers hold the upper hand with six games to play.

They’ll settle it on the field this week.