The Los Angeles Dodgers took two of three from the Colorado Rockies over the weekend and now look ahead to their most important series of the season against the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers begin a three-game set with their Southern California rival on Tuesday and the stakes couldn’t be higher. L.A. holds a three-game lead over San Diego in the National League West standings, with a magic number of just four to clinch another division title.
The Padres typically bring their best when they face the Dodgers, and manager Dave Roberts expects that to once again be the case when the teams face off this week.
“I think it’s pretty easy to see that when we’ve played them, I think 10 times this year, they came out more intense than we did,” Roberts said. “That’s got to change, I expect it to change. Playing those guys, in certainly very, very meaningful games, will bring out the best in us.”
Joe Musgrove said last week that the Padres are more focused on playing their best baseball down the stretch as opposed to overtaking the Dodgers in the NL West standings.
However, the Padres have a real chance of at least making things interesting, which is why Roberts believes the Dodgers need to match their intensity.
“I think the chaser always seems like they have a little extra incentive. So I think that’s part of it. But the talent being equal, there’s no reason why our fight, our intensity, focus, shouldn’t match theirs or best theirs.”
The Dodgers have gone 3-7 against the Padres, which means San Diego will win the NL West by way of a tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record.
The Dodgers can guarantee themselves first place in the NL West through Thursday simply by winning one game against the Padres. If the Dodgers win two games, they will clinch the NL West.
Will Dodgers & Padres meet in postseason?
As it currently stands, the Padres hold the top NL Wild Card spot and are poised to host the No. 5 seed in a best-of-three series at Petco Park.
If the Padres win their series and the Dodgers finish with the best record in the NL, the teams will face off in the NL Division Series.
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