Taking Dodgers rivalry to Los Angeles – San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers

• Monday: 7:10 p.m. (Padres.TV)
• Tuesday: 7:10 p.m. (Padres.TV)
• Wednesday: 7:10 p.m. (Padres.TV)
• Thursday: 7:10 p.m. (Padres.TV)

In the standings

San Diego Padres (39-31, 3rd in NL West)

The Padres have lost back-to-back series against NL West opponents, including two of three to LA last week in San Diego. The Padres are two games off the Dodgers’ pace in the NL West and in possession of the NL’s third wild-card spot, one game behind the Giants. The Padres’ plus-25 run differential ranks 12th in the majors.

Los Angeles (43-29, 1st in NL West)

The Dodgers took two of three over the weekend from the Giants to take a two-game lead in the division. They’ve won six of their last 10 games and rank fifth in the majors with a plus-71 run differential.

Pitching matchups

Monday

Padres RHP Dylan Cease (2-5, 4.28 ERA)   |   He’s coming off his first quality start since May 20, as he struck out a season-high 11 batters over seven shutout innings in beating the Dodgers. Cease also walked a season-high five batters in the win, his first since April 2. Cease has a 5.65 ERA in seven starts this year away from Petco Park.

Dodgers RHP Shohei Ohtani (2025 debut)   |   He’s returning to the mound Monday as an opener after a 22-month hiatus following a second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani has a 3.01 ERA in 481⅔ innings in the majors as a pitcher. He’s faced the Padres just once as a pitcher, allowing five runs in five innings in July 2023, some two months before needing another elbow reconstruction.

Tuesday

Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.57 ERA)   |   He was an out away from qualifying for a quality start last week against the Dodgers, striking out four and allowed one run on two hits and a walk. But only four of Vásquez’s 14 starts are quality starts and he’s walking 4.6 batters per nine innings, the worst rate of his career.

Dodgers TBA   |   With 14 pitchers on the injured list and Shohei Ohtani returning to the staff on Monday, the rotation for Tuesday and Wednesday is TBD.

Wednesday

Padres RHP Stephen Kolek (3-2, 3.50 ERA)   |   Kolek’s scoreless streak had reached 16 ⅔ innings, the longest by a Padre this season, before giving up five runs—four earned—in 4 ⅓ innings in Friday’s loss in Arizona. Kolek is making his first start against the Dodgers. He allowed two runs in 3 ⅔ innings across four relief appearances last year.

 Dodgers TBA   |   Manager Dave Roberts has not announced a starter.

Thursday

Padres RHP Ryan Bergert (1-0, 2.33 ERA)   |   He’s making his first career start against the Dodgers, but he’s gone at least five innings in his first three starts in the majors (2.93 ERA). The last start saw Bergert strike out a career-high eight batters despite giving up three runs in five innings. Bergert is allowing a .791 OPS against righties so far and a .296 OPS against lefties.

Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-5, 2.64 ERA)   |   The second-year Japanese import tied a season high with five runs allowed in his last start (4 ⅔ IP). He has struck out 90 batters against 30 walks in 78 ⅓ innings so far. Yamamoto allowed eight runs in six innings across two regular-season starts last year against the Padres and then had a bad start in Game 1 of the NLDS (3 IP, 5 ER) before throwing five shutout innings in the decisive Game 5.

Team leaders

• OPS: Padres—3B Manny Machado (.876), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.829), DH Gavin Sheets (.801); Dodgers—DH Shohei Ohtani (1.035), 1B Freddie Freeman (.967), C Will Smith (.908).
• Homers: Padres—Tatis (13), Sheets (12), Machado (10); Dodgers—Ohtani (25), OF Teoscar Hernandez (13), OF Andy Pages (13).
• RBIs: Padres—Machado (43), Sheets (40), Tatis (31); Dodgers—Hernandez (50), Pages (46), Ohtani (41), Freeman (41).
• Steals: Padres—Tatis (15), SS Xander Bogaerts (13), Machado (8), OF Brandon Lockridge (8); Dodgers—Ohtani (11), 2B Hyesong Kim (6), Pages (6).
• Saves: Padres—RHP Robert Suarez (21-for-23, 3.23 ERA); Dodgers—LHP Tanner Scott (13-for-18, 3.86 ERA), LHP Alex Vesia (3-for-3, 2.70 ERA).
• Holds: Padres—RHP Jason Adam (17, 1.54 ERA), RHP Jeremiah Estrada (12, 2.53 ERA), LHP Adrián Morejón (9, 2.83 ERA); Dodgers—Vesia (12), RHP Kirby Yates (11, 4.22 ERA), RHP Ben Casparius (7, 2.86 ERA), LHP Jack Dreyer (7, 2.78 ERA).

Training room

San Diego: OF Jackson Merrill was placed on the seven-day concussion list on Sunday, a day after taking a hard tag to the head. RHP Bryan Hoeing (shoulder) and OF Jason Heyward (knee) are rehabbing at Triple-A El Paso. RHP Yu Darvish (elbow) threw a sim game over the weekend in Arizona, while RHP Michael King (shoulder) has not progressed past light, sporadic catch.

Los Angeles: Of the 14 pitchers on the injured list, RHP Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has been shut down indefinitely and is not considered part of the plans for 2025. LHP Blake Snell (shoulder) threw a bullpen on Friday, while RHP Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) threw a simulated game.