Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
- Monday: 6:40 p.m. (Padres.TV)
- Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. (Padres.TV)
- Wednesday: 1:10 p.m. (Padres.TV)
In the standings
Los Angeles Dodgers (39-27, 1st in NL West)
The defending world champs avoided a sweep in St. Louis with a 7-3 win on Sunday to remain a game ahead of the Padres. The Padres won last year’s series, 8-5, but lost in five games in the NLDS despite having a 2-1 lead in the series. The Dodgers have the fifth-best record in the majors and the fifth-best run differential (plus-74).
San Diego Padres (37-27, 2nd in NL West)
The Padres went 4-3 on a road trip through San Francisco and Milwaukee, winning three one-run games in the process to maintain the majors’ sixth-best record despite the 13th-best run differential (plus-18). The Padres are 17-17 on the road and 20-10 at home (the Dodgers are 16-16 on the road).
Trending
Los Angeles: The Dodgers have the majors’ second best OPS (.802), making up for a rotation that ranks 21st in ERA (4.25) and a bullpen that ranks 18th (3.95). 3B Max Muncy has three homers to start June (1.222) and OF Andy Pages (1.069) has two. Meantime, the only other regular with an OPS above .750 is SS Mookie Betts (1.121), while DH Shohei Ohtani (.720), C Will Smith (.535), 1B Freddie Freeman (.526), OF Michael Conforto (.411) and OF Teoscar Hernandez (.240) are all in a cold snap to start June.
San Diego: The Padres only have one hitter with a home run this month and that’s 3B Manny Machado, who has four homers and a 1.203 OPS. The rest of the regulars all have an OPS below .600: 1B Luis Arraez (.578), SS Xander Bogaerts (.526), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.512) and 1B Gavin Sheets (.385). The Padres keep winning because they have multiple relievers with multiple appearances without allowing an earned run in June: RHP Robert Suarez (5 IP), RHP Jeremiah Estrada (3⅔ IP), LHP Wandy Peralta (3⅔ IP), RHP Sean Reynolds (3⅔ IP), LHP Adrián Morejón (3 IP) and LHP Yuki Matsui (2⅔ IP).
Pitching matchups
Monday
Dodgers RHP Dustin May (3-4, 4.09 ERA) | He lost all of last year to injuries and has thrown just 253 ⅓ innings in parts of six years in the majors due to various injuries. May has a 3.18 ERA over his last three starts, striking out 22 against five walks over 17 innings. May has a 3.36 ERA in 59 career innings against the Padres (12 games, 9 starts), striking out 52 and fashioning a 1.00 WHIP, but he has not faced them since 2023 (12⅔ IP, 2 ER).
Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (6-2, 3.16 ERA) | He’s strung together four straight quality starts (3.38 ERA), striking out 27 against five walks over 24 innings, although the Padres are 2-2 in those games. Pivetta has been at his best at Petco Park, posting a 1.69 ERA in six starts (37⅓ IP). He is 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 27⅓ IP (6 starts, 5 games) against the Dodgers, including eight strikeouts over six shutout innings in a no-decision last year while with the Red Sox.
Tuesday
Dodgers TBA | The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the injured last after elbow trouble pushed RHP Tony Gonsolin to the shelf after his last start. Other notable missing arms include LHP Blake Snell and RHPs Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki, all of whom have shoulder trouble.
Padres RHP Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72 ERA) | His hit rate is up from 6.5 per nine innings last year to 8.7 this year and his WHIP is up from 1.07 to 1.31. Cease has gone three straight starts without a quality start (5.52 ERA) and has just four quality starts this season. Cease last faced the Dodgers in the NLDS, allowing eight runs in five innings across two starts, both losses for the team. Cease is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in four regular-season starts against the Dodgers. He allowed four runs in 10 ⅔ innings (3.38 ERA) in two starts last year.
Wednesday
Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (1-2, 7.20 ERA) | The 24-year-old has a 6.14 ERA in 51 ⅓ innings since making his debut last year and has allowed 12 homers, including three in 15 innings this year. Wrobleski allowed four runs over six innings (104 pitches) in his last start. This is his first career appearance against the Padres.
Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.69 ERA) | His 34 walks are the most in the NL and the prime reason for a FIP (5.34) sitting well above his ERA. Vásquez has seven walks over his last two starts, but did not allow a run in 4⅔ innings in his last start in Milwaukee. This is Vásquez’s first career appearance against the Dodgers.
Team leaders
- OPS: Dodgers—DH Shohei Ohtani (1.021), 1B Freddie Freeman (1.000), C Will Smith (.919); Padres—3B Manny Machado (.897), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.793), DH Gavin Sheets (.767).
- Homers: Dodgers—Ohtani (23), OF Andy Pages (12), OF Teoscar Hernandez (10); Padres— Tatis (13), Sheets (11), Machado (10).
- RBIs: Dodgers—Hernandez (43), Freeman (40), Ohtani (39), Pages (39); Padres—Sheets (38), Machado (33), Tatis (28).
- Steals: Dodgers—Ohtani (11), Pages (6), 2B Hyeseong Kim (6); Padres—Tatis (12), SS Xander Bogaerts (12),
- Saves: Dodgers—LHP Tanner Scott (11-for-16, 4.25 ERA); Padres—RHP Robert Suarez (21-for-23, 1.84 ERA).
- Holds: Dodgers—LHP Alex Vesia (11, 3.00 ERA), RHP Kirby Yates (9, 4.26 ERA), RHP Ben Casparius (7, 2.93 ERA); Padres—RHP Jason Adam (16, 1.64 ERA), RHP Jeremiah Estrada (11, 2.17 ERA), LHP Adrián Morejón (9, 2.73 ERA).
Training room
Los Angeles: RHP Tony Gonsolin opened the season on the injured list as he returned from Tommy John surgery and he is back on the injured list with elbow discomfort. Other Dodgers on the shelf include: LHP Blake Snell (shoulder), RHP Tyler Glasnow (shoulder), RHP Roki Sasaki (shoulder), RHP Blake Treinen (forearm), RHP Brusdar Graterol (shoulder), RHP River Ryan (Tommy John), RHP Gavin Stone (shoulder), RHP Michael Grove (shoulder), RHP Edgardo Henriquez (hand), RHP Luis Garcia (adductor), RHP Evan Phillips (Tommy John surgery), RHP Emmet Sheehan (Tommy John) and RHP Kyle Hurt (Tommy John).
San Diego: RHP Bryan Hoeing (shoulder) pitched out of the bullpen again for Triple-A El Paso on Saturday and will see his 30-day rehab assignment come to an end early this week. RHP Yu Darvish (elbow) is back to throwing bullpens as he builds up for his 2025 debut, while RHP Michael King (shoulder) is only playing catch. OF Jason Heyward (oblique) is not expected back until next month at the earliest.
