The Los Angeles Dodgers held a nine-game lead in the National League West on July 3rd. In what’s been a disastrous last month and a half, the San Diego Padres now control the NL West by one game heading into two pivotal series against Los Angeles.
Between August 15th and 25th, the Dodgers and Padres will square off six times. The Dodgers were just swept by the Los Angeles Angels, which completed a season sweep for the Angels against their freeway rival. On the other hand, San Diego took care of divisional rival San Francisco Giants in their previous series. Both teams will get an off-day on Thursday before a three-game weekend set at Dodger Stadium.
What Factors Will Decide Dodgers, Padres NL West Race?
This marks the first time the Padres have been in first place since 2010, and they have not won the NL West since 2006.
The most significant factors determining the division race down the stretch can be divided into different parts. The Los Angeles Dodgers are trending in the wrong direction, whereas the Padres are currently surging. Health for both teams will play a big role. Los Angeles’s pitching staff is getting healthier and isn’t necessarily the reason for their losing ways.
Starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and now Shohei Ohtani are all being stretched out. They should return Tanner Scott to the bullpen as well. For the Padres, it’s the same scenario: Yu Darvish is back in the rotation, their bullpen is one of the best in baseball, and Michael King is also back from injury.
Another big factor will be how each team’s ‘star’ players perform. San Diego may have less star power at the top of their roster, but they have a more well-rounded lineup. For Los Angeles, they need the top performers like Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith. Besides that, the Dodgers’ lineup has not performed great as of late.
The Importance of Playing Good Baseball Into September
As noted, the two teams will match up six times in the next 10 days, concluding the head-to-head matchups between the bitter rivals. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Padres have been one of the best rivalries in the past few seasons, and these 10 days will tell a lot, but there will still be an entire month of baseball left.
It’s so important in Major League Baseball to get hot at the right times, usually in mid-late September. Another critical point is that the Dodgers currently lead the season series versus the Padres 5-2, which plays a factor in a potential tiebreaker at the end of the season.
One of the most significant advantages San Diego has is its bullpen. They anchored an already stellar group by adding Mason Miller at the trade deadline, and already have Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon amid career years. The Dodgers’ late-inning arms are truly a mystery at this point. Michael Kopech is out, Tanner Scott is out, and Kirby Yates has been inconsistent.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Factors That Will Decide Dodgers-Padres Tight Divisional Race appeared first on Heavy Sports.