Padres-Dodgers NL Division Series Game 1 FAQ (Sat., 8:30 ET/5:30 PT, FS1)

Padres-Dodgers NL Division Series Game 1 FAQ (Sat., 8:30 ET/5:30 PT, FS1)

7:13 AM UTC

In the moments after the Dodgers clinched the National League West with a late-September victory over the Padres, Manny Machado sat at his locker in the visiting clubhouse and made a proclamation.

“No disappointment,” Machado said. “We’re in the postseason. We’re going to see them in a few weeks.”

He wasn’t wrong. For the third time in the past five postseasons, the Dodgers and Padres will meet in the National League Division Series, with Game 1 slated for Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles swept the Padres in 2020, before the Padres exacted their revenge with a four-game victory in 2022. Now, after the two teams staged a dramatic division race that went to the season’s final week, they’ll meet again in October.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s Game 1.

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 1 of the best-of-five series will be on Saturday at 5:38 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium and will air on FS1.

All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Padres: RHP (14-11, 3.47 ERA)
The Padres haven’t formally tabbed Cease for Game 1, but he was slated to start Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against Atlanta (which never happened). Cease was mostly sharp down the stretch, posting a 2.97 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in September. His final regular-season start came in L.A., where he allowed three runs over five innings.

Dodgers: RHP (13-7, 3.17 ERA)
Flaherty was the Dodgers’ big Trade Deadline acquisition and the team has needed him even more than originally expected. With injuries to Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone, the Dodgers’ rotation took a big hit in the second half. Through that, it was Flaherty who gave Los Angeles the boost it desperately needed.

The Burbank native went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts since joining the Dodgers on July 30. Flaherty allowed three runs on four hits over five innings in his lone start against the Padres this season.

What are the starting lineups?

Padres:

1. , DH
2. , RF
3. , LF
4. , 3B
5. , CF
6. , SS
7. , 3B
8. , 1B
9. , C

The Padres haven’t altered their lineup much down the stretch, though they’ve occasionally started David Peralta in place of Solano against certain right-handers. But when San Diego last faced Flaherty two weeks ago, Solano got the start.

Dodgers:

1. , DH
2. , RF
3. , 1B
4. , LF
5. , 3B
6. , C
7. , CF
8. , SS
9. , 2B

There shouldn’t be many changes to the Dodgers’ lineup. Of course, this is dependent on Freeman (right ankle sprain) and Rojas (left adductor tear) being active and ready for Game 1, which is expected.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Padres: By sweeping the Braves in the Wild Card Series, the Padres should have a completely fresh ’pen for Game 1. They’ve used lefty Tanner Scott and righty Jason Adam as the primary high-leverage options to set up closer Robert Suarez. Bryan Hoeing, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon have all pitched in high-leverage spots as well.

Dodgers: The Dodgers will be aggressive with their bullpen all postseason long. With the starting pitching being a real question mark for the club, the Dodgers believe their bullpen will be a big strength. Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech will be the big right-handed options for the Dodgers. On the left-hand side, Anthony Banda and Alex Vesia give them more than enough options. Veterans Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly and Ryan Brasier also give them coverage if their starting pitchers don’t have their best stuff early on.

Any injuries of note?

Padres: On Saturday, the Padres officially shut down Ha-Seong Kim, who will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Since Kim’s mid-August injury, Bogaerts has moved back to shortstop, with Cronenworth sliding to second.

Meanwhile, right-hander Joe Musgrove, who started Game 2 against Atlanta, exited that outing with tightness in his right elbow. He’ll undergo imaging before the series begins, and his status on the NLDS roster is unclear.

Dodgers: Freeman is working through a sprained right ankle that he suffered in the Dodgers’ last home game on Sept. 26. The injury forced Freeman to miss the last three games of the regular season and could limit his mobility during the NLDS. Still, Freeman is expected to be in the Dodgers’ lineup.

Rojas is also battling through a tear in his left adductor muscle, an injury he’s been working through for at least a couple of weeks. Rojas was sidelined for the last four regular-season games, but like Freeman, he is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday.

Kershaw has been keeping his arm loose, but a left big toe injury will keep him out of the NLDS unless something drastic changes in the next few days. Kershaw is hopeful to make an appearance at some point in the postseason if the Dodgers have a deep run.

Who is hot and who is not?

Padres: Tatis has opened the postseason on a tear, homering in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series before following it up with three hits in Game 2. Meanwhile, after Profar finished the regular season in a 3-for-20 funk, he recorded only an infield single in two games against Atlanta.

Dodgers: There is no hotter hitter in the sport than Ohtani, who took home back-to-back National League Player of the Week honors to close out the regular season. Ohtani, who became the first player in Major League history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season, put the finishing touches on his MVP campaign by hitting .393 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs in September.

Anything else fans might want to know?

  • The Padres won the season series, 8-5, the first time they’ve taken a regular-season series against the Dodgers since 2010. This year’s edition kicked off with MLB’s first games in South Korea, as the Padres and Dodgers split two in Seoul.
  • The Dodgers only won one of their five series against the Padres this season, but that came during the season’s final week -- a dramatic three-game set that saw the Padres clinch a postseason berth with a game-ending triple play, before the Dodgers clinched the division with wins in the final two games.
  • In 34 career games at Dodger Stadium -- where his dad once famously hit two grand slams in an inning -- Tatis owns a .313 batting average and a .992 OPS. His 12 home runs there are his most at any ballpark outside of Petco Park, and with his late-September 448-foot moonshot, he became the first visitor to hit multiple Statcast-tracked 445-foot homers at Chavez Ravine.