The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off of a series win against the Athletics and a successful road trip, are set to start a four-game series against the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
The Dodgers have played the Padres on two occasions already this season, going down south to play both series. This will be the first series at Dodger Stadium between the two teams, and it’s sure to attract plenty of fans. The first game of the series lands on the notoriously popular One Piece Night, which packed Dodger Stadium last year. That’s not the only promotion of the series, as the Dodgers will give away a commemorative coin to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ foundation.
Through the two series they’ve played against the Padres, the Dodgers have a 4-2 record and have outscored their opponents 29-17.
What are the Pitching Matchups for the Series?
Roki Sasaki will start Thursday’s series opener against the Padres, facing off against right-hander Randy Vasquez. Sasaki has made 14 starts this season, posting a 4.88 ERA through 72 innings pitched while striking out 72 batters.
The young right-hander faced the Padres in his last outing as well, and will look to bounce back from an outing where he allowed three runs in four innings and walked five batters.
On Friday, Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for the Dodgers to face Michael King. The Dodgers originally intended to start Ohtani on Wednesday against the Athletics, but chose instead to push his start back a couple of days for some extra rest. Ohtani has been one of the NL’s best pitchers this season, as he has a 1.58 ERA through his 13 starts so far this year .He has struck out 86 batters in 79.2 innings.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take over for the third game of the series, as the Padres give the ball to former Angel Griffin Canning. Yamamoto has been electric all season, carrying his performances from the World Series into this year. He has a 2.67 ERA through 15 starts, striking out 90 batters in 97.2 innings pitched.
For the final game of the set, Emmet Sheehan will take the mound against left-hander JP Sears. Sheehan stepped up in his most recent start following a difficult few weeks, allowing just one earned run against the Padres through five innings. He has a 5.08 ERA on the season through 15 starts.
The Padres’ rotation as a whole has struggled this season, as only one of the four pitchers the Dodgers are facing has an ERA below 4.00.
How Important is the Dodgers’ Series Against the Padres?
The Dodgers currently hold a massive lead above the Padres in the NL West, currently sitting 12 games above their division rival. A series win would give the Dodgers an extremely comfortable lead at the top of the division as the first half of the season winds down to a close.
LA’s lead atop the division is the widest among all MLB division leaders, and they’ll hope they can put things out of reach with another series win over the Padres this weekend.
Are you excited to face the Padres again?
