Dodgers Preview: Dodgers Head to SD with Just a 1-Game Lead in NL West

SAN DIEGO, CA—After clashing at Dodger Stadium last weekend, with the Los Angeles Dodgers taking care of business, sweeping the Friars out of LA, and reclaiming first place in the National League West, they’ll meet for another three-game set at Petco Park in San Diego.

After sweeping the Padres last weekend, the Dodgers failed to capitalize on facing the lowly Colorado Rockies, splitting a four-game set.

On the other hand, the Padres, with their own four-game set versus the San Francisco Giants, got the job done, taking three of four, and enter today just one game back in the NL West.

The Dodgers have struggled to achieve consistency in the second half of the regular season, with a 10-9 record since the start of August and a win-loss record of just five wins in their last ten games.

The Padres have been one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball, narrowing the nine-game lead that Los Angeles had, and despite a blip last weekend, are winners of six of their last ten games.

The Dodgers, having swept the series last week, have already secured the season series between the two clubs, with the Dodgers winning seven games to two over the Padres this season.

However, this will be the final regular-season matchup between the two rivals unless they meet for a potential postseason series.

For Los Angeles, every game still matters this weekend, not only for their division race but also keeping pace with the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies for a top-two seed in the National League.

The Phillies currently hold a 1.5-game lead over Los Angeles for the second seed in the NL, which would guarantee them a first-round bye.

It should be a postseason-like atmosphere at Petco Park, with each game featuring a marquee pitching matchup; it could be a preview of another National League Division Series meeting.

Pitching matchups

Game One: Blake Snell (LHP) (3-1, 1.80 ERA) vs Yu Darvish (2-3, 5.97 ERA)

Game Two: Tyler Glasnow (1-1, 3.12 ERA) vs Nestor Cortes (LHP) (1-2, 5.87 ERA)

Game Three: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-8, 2.90 ERA) vs Nick Pivetta (13-4, 2.81 ERA)

Game Times

Game One: 6:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Padres Television Network

Game Two: 5:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Padres Television Network, FS1

Game Three: 1:10 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Padres Television Network

Who’s in & who’s out?

The Dodgers’ first wave of player reinfomcmnts is set to take place this weekend, with the first player set to be activated being left-handed arm Tanner Scott.

Scott, 31, has been out since mid-July with left elbow inflammation but completed a scoreless frame with the Triple-A OKC Comets on Tuesday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Scott would be activated on Friday after yesterday’s game.

On Saturday, the Dodgers are expected to activate veteran right-handed relief pitcher Kirby Yates from the 15-day injured list. Like Scott, Yates tossed a scoreless inning with the Comets on Tuesday.

Both Hyeseong Kim and Kiké Hernández began their minor league rehab assignment this week, with each player having multi-hit days.

Hernández first appeared as a designated hitter but was seen in center field during yesterday’s game, with Kim playing left field.

Both Hernández and Kim could rejoin the Dodgers next week.

It was confirmed by Dave Roberts yesterday that Max Muncy has begun swinging off a tee, feeling little to no pain from his injured oblique, which landed him back on the 10-day injured list.

Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese rookie, made his second start with the Comets, tossing three-plus innings, allowing just two runs.

Michael Kopech has also appeared in four minor league games so far and is trending toward his potential activation on August 27th.

Day-to-day (1): Max Muncy

10-day Injured List (3): Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, Hyeseong Kim

15-day Injured List (3): Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Brock Stewart

60-day Injured List (9): Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Evan Phillips

Nothing has changed for the Padres’ injured list since the two ’s’ last meeting at Dodger Stadium.

Right-handed pitcher Michael King was inserted back on the 15-day injured list before the start of last week’s three-game series, but is not expected to miss much more time.

The other two arms on the injured list are right-handed pitchers Joe Musgrove and Jhonny Brito, who each underwent season-ending UCL surgery this past year.

However, Padres young outfielder Jackson Merrill could be placed on the team’s 10-day injured list after rolling his ankle running out of the batter’s box on August 15th.

Merrill had X-rays done, which were negative, but has yet to appear in a game since.

Day-to-day (1): Jackson Merrill

10-day Injured List (00):

15-day Injured List (1): Michael King

60-day Injured List (2): Joe Musgrove, Jhony Brito

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