The San Diego Padres swept the Atlanta Braves to win the Wild Card Series and advanced for a matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, which begins Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers clinched a spot in the NLDS by earning the No. 1 seed behind a Major League-best 98-64 record during the regular season. That gave them a first-round bye in the postseason for the third consecutive year.
After failing to get past the NLDS in each of the last two seasons, the Dodgers changed the way they prepared during the five-day layoff. The team took an extra day off this year before resuming mandatory workouts on Wednesday.
The Dodgers also stayed fresh by hitting off advanced pitching robots (Trajekt Arc pitching simulator) that can replicate any Major League pitcher, including their windup, velocity and arm angle.
Still ahead for the Dodgers are going to be intrasquad games as well, but likely facing pitchers from Triple-A Oklahoma City as opposed to their own teammates.
First pitch for Game 1 of the NLDS is set for 5:38 p.m. PT on Saturday. Game 2 also is at Dodger Stadium, with a 5:08 p.m. start time on Sunday.
The NLDS will shift to Petco Park for Game 3 on Tuesday, Oct. 8. If necessary, the Padres would also host Game 4 of the NLDS. If the teams are still tied after that, the NLDS would return to Dodger Stadium for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday, Oct. 11.
Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS will be broadcasted exclusively on FS1. It’s possible the remaining NLDS games will be on Fox, though nothing has been officially announced.
The Dodgers went 5-8 against the Padres this season, including a 3-3 record at Dodger Stadium. L.A. was outscored, 62-56, in the 13 matchups.
However, the Dodgers clinched the NL West by winning two of three in their most-recent series against the Padres.
The 2024 NLDS is a third time the Padres and Dodgers have played in the postseason. The Dodgers swept the Padres in the 2020 NLDS en route to winning the World Series, but were eliminated in 2022.
Padres vs. Dodgers NLDS schedule
Saturday, Oct. 5: Game 1, 5:38 p.m. PT, Dodger Stadium, FS1
Sunday, Oct. 6: Game 2, 5:08 p.m. PT, Dodger Stadium, FS1
Tuesday, Oct. 8: Game 3, Petco Park, TBD
Wednesday, Oct. 9: Game 4*, Petco Park, TBD
Friday, Oct. 11: Game 5*, Dodger Stadium
*if necessary
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