Series Preview: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
Baseball's best rivalry is back and first place is on the line.
Strap in, it's going to be a wild ride this weekend at Chavez Ravine as the FIRST PLACE San Diego Padres try and hold on to that position. To do so, they'll need to win this three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
If it feels like a playoff series, that's because....in some ways.....it kind of is.
Team Records
Padres: 69-52 (31-32 on the road)
Dodgers: 68-53 (38-24 at home)
Even after sweeping the Giants, the Padres (like the Dodgers) are about .500 on the road.
These teams played earlier this season, with the Dodgers winning both series by taking 5 of the 7 games played.
Pitching matchups
Friday: TBD vs. Clayton Kershaw
Saturday: Dylan Cease vs. Blake Snell
Sunday: Yu Darvish vs. Tyler Glasnow
The starting pitching matchups were already looking like one of the most intriguing parts of this series, but they has become even more impactful with Michael King going on the Injured List with a knee issue.
King was originally supposed to be the starter for tonight's game, and the Padres have not yet announced his replacement. Randy Vasquez, who has been solid for the Padres most of the season, took King's place on the roster and could be an option to pitch tonight.
Vasquez pitched one time for the El Paso Chihuahuas after being sent down, and it did not go well for him. The Oklahoma City Comets lit him up for 5 earned runs in just 3 innings. You can blame that on El Paso's elevation if you want, but he also had about as many walks as strikeouts.
If it weren't for the stakes of the series, and Dylan Cease pitching tomorrow, you could make an argument for the Padres to make tonight a bullpen game. As it stands, I think they're going to hope that Randy Vasquez can give them 4-5 innings while holding the Dodgers to 3 runs or less (as he did twice just two months ago).
