The San Diego Padres completed a sweep of the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Series and advanced for a National League Division Series matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers went just 5-8 against the Padres this season, but won two of three in their most recent series to clinch the NL West. L.A. finished with a Major League-best 98-64 record and secured a first-round bye in the postseason for the third consecutive year.
The Dodgers and Padres are facing each other for just the third time in MLB postseason history. Their most recent meeting resulted in San Diego eliminating L.A. during the 2022 NLDS.
Two years earlier, the Dodgers swept the Padres in the NLDS as part of their journey to winning the 2020 World Series.
Padres vs. Dodgers postseason history
2022 NLDS: Padres defeat Dodgers 3-1
The Dodgers got off to a fast start in Game 1 of the 2022 NLDS as they took a five-run lead after three innings. Trea Turner homered in the first, and RBI doubles by Gavin Lux and Cody Bellinger gave the team some cushion in the 5-3 win.
From that point on, it was all Padres as they won three consecutive games to eliminate the Dodgers.
San Diego flipped the score in Game 2 to even the series, which featured a pitcher’s duel between Clayton Kershaw and Yu Darvish. The Padres then held on for a 2-1 win in Game 3, with Trent Grisham’s home run proving to be the difference maker.
The decisive Game 4 at Petco Park saw the Dodgers carry a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but the Padres scored five runs off the bullpen en route to another 5-3 win and series victory.
2020 NLDS: Dodgers defeat Padres 3-0
The best-of-five series was played on a neutral field at Globe Life Park with no fans in attendance due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Dodgers took the first game, 5-1, behind a strong effort from their pitching staff. Walker Buehler allowed just two runs (one earned) over four innings of work and the bullpen followed up with five scoreless frames.
The Dodgers wasted no time getting out to a comfortable lead in Game 2, but it wasn’t without a late scare from the Padres. San Diego scored two runs in the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen but stranded the go-ahead runner on second base after Joe Kelly recorded the final out.
Needing one more win to the advance to the NL Championship Series, the Dodgers exploded for 12 runs in Game 3 to eliminate the Padres. Will Smith led the way with a five-hit performance and drove in a team-high three RBI.
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