Dodgers News: Padres Players Certainly Seemed Hyped Up For This Series

Get ready for an incredibly exhausting weekend of games, everyone. The Dodgers and Padres will go head-to-head for 4 games starting tonight, and it should be a very good series. With just a game and a half separating the 2 teams in the NL West, the series could have October implications. 

And it sounds like Padres players are pretty hyped up about the series. A bunch of them spoke with USA Today about the upcoming series with the Dodgers, and they had some bold words for their NL West counterparts. 

“I certainly think that rivalries are created in October, but we feel like we can compete with those guys. We have the group, we have the talent, we have the camaraderie that we can compete with those guys. It’s on us to punch our ticket in October and hopefully get a crack at those guys.’’ -Eric Hosmer

The Dodgers and Padres have matched up in just one other series this year. And while they didn’t play much of a factor in 2021, San Diego and Los Angeles very much went toe-to-toe in the 2020 World Series run. 

“Our confidence is sky-high, the highest since I’ve been here. It’s just different now. A big part of it is the coaching staff we have, and [manager] Bob [Melvin] is the key to that. He gives us the confidence that we’ll go out there and win every day.” -Manny Machado

This series will be interesting because both teams are suffering from the injury bug yet winning games. The Dodgers are without Walker Buehler and Mookie Betts while the Padres have been without Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Machado could potentially be back in the lineup this weekend for the series. 

But the pitching matchups alone are enough to draw headlines this weekend. Potential Cy Young candidates Joe Musgrove and Tony Gonsolin will both pitch in the series at some point and Clayton Kershaw matches up against young lefty MacKenzie Gore. 

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Dodgers: Pitching Probables With the Padres Offers a Potentially Electric Series