The Padres head into their road series against the Dodgers with a chance to do more than just inch closer to the postseason. San Diego’s win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday pushed its magic number to clinch a wild-card berth down to 2, and a sweep in Los Angeles would send the celebration straight into the visitors’ clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.
The matchup starts Tuesday night with a pretty strong October-flavored feel. San Diego will open the three-game set with right-hander Michael King, who has been one of the club’s most reliable arms all season.
King is 12-9 with a 3.03 ERA, which ranks eighth in the National League, and he hasn’t taken a loss since Aug. 19.
The Dodgers got to him the last time these teams met in July, but that game was more about Shohei Ohtani than King. Ohtani held the Padres to three runs over six innings in a 4-3 Los Angeles win, though he hasn’t pitched since.
Since then, San Diego’s offense has surged into one of the league’s best.
Wednesday brings another tough assignment, with left-hander Robbie Ray lined up against Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ray is no stranger to pitching in Los Angeles, and his numbers at Dodger Stadium have been strong over the long haul.
Since his 2014 debut, he has held opponents to a .174 batting average there, a mark topped by only two other venues. The last time Ray faced the Dodgers in Los Angeles, though, it was a rough night: a 4-0 loss for the San Francisco Giants on May 13.
Yamamoto, last year’s World Series MVP, should be a clear measuring stick for how far the Padres’ lineup has come since the last meeting between these clubs.
The finale on Thursday sets up another telling test, with Nick Pivetta taking the ball against Tyler Glasnow. Pivetta has been sharp since coming off the injured list earlier this month, allowing just three runs total across starts against the Washington Nationals, Giants and Miami Marlins.
The Dodgers’ offense, though, is in a different class from those opponents. Their .818 OPS in September is second only to the Padres’ .850.
All three games are set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m.
ET. Tuesday’s opener will air on Padres.TV, TBS, HBO Max and the MLB app.
Wednesday’s game will be on Padres.TV and the MLB app. Thursday’s finale will be carried on Padres.TV, MLB Network and the MLB app.
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