Remember when the San Diego Padres (43-42, 2nd in NL West) swept the Atlanta Braves and took the first game of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers less than a week ago? Well, any good feelings from that stretch have quickly evaporated after San Diego's five-game losing streak that features a 15-3 beatdown at the hands of their NL West rivals and the most lopsided loss in Padres' history—a 23-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
And the road doesn't get any easier. San Diego will endure a likely silent 4+ hour flight to back to the west coast as they prepare for a four-game series against the division-leading Dodgers (56-30) in Chavez Ravine. Los Angeles enters the series winning seven of its last nine games with series wins over the Minnesota Twins, Sacramento A's and San Diego at Petco Park. Sitting just a single game above the.500 mark and 2.0 games out of a playoff spot, this series carries significant importance for San Diego's postseason aspirations.
The back-to-back World Series Champion Dodgers return home to Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium after a nine-game road trip and will wrap up the first half of the regular season with a 10-game homestand—starting with a four-game set against San Diego, followed by three games against Colorado and Arizona. Los Angeles has enjoyed the confines of home, going 26-14 (.650) in 40 games at Dodger Stadium this season.
LA Stardom
There isn't a whole lot that hasn't been said about the star power on the Dodgers roster. Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman and eight-time All-Star Mookie Betts dominate the conversation surrounding a Los Angeles lineup that leads Major League Baseball in average (.266), on-base percentage (.347), slugging percentage (.443), on-base plus slugging (.791) and wRC+ (119). And that's just on the offensive side. The pitching staff has impressed in its own right, owning a top five ERA in the majors at 3.43 while leading the league in WHIP (1.12).
While most focus their attention on Ohtani, who leads the team in ERA (1.58) in 13 starts and 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the club's innings leader at 97.2 innings, a 25-year-old left-hander has solidified his slot in the rotation as one of the Dodgers' most reliable starters. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski sits atop of LA rotation with 10 wins in 14 starts while posting a 2.80 ERA in 93.1 innings. The Dodgers' are one of the few teams to employ a six-man rotation, an organizational decision that has paid dividends.
"Giving those guys a good amount of recovery time is beneficial," manager Dave Roberts said earlier this season. "It's a luxury that we have six really good starters."
Not only has the rotation been among the best in baseball, the bullpen has quietly been effective despite injuries to closer Edwin Diaz and right-handed reliever Blake Treinen. A major factor to the success has come from a bounce-back season from LHP Tanner Scott. After allowing a career-high 10 blown saves in 2025, the 31-year-old has converted 11/12 save opportunities this season while posting a minuscule 0.70 WHIP in 36 appearances. Of qualified relievers, Scott owns the best ERA (2.10) and strikeout total (42) in the Dodgers' bullpen.
In Tuesday's victory over the A's, Dave Roberts became the fastest manager in Major League Baseball history to 1000 career wins, achieving the milestone in 1606 games spanning across 11 seasons as the Los Angeles skipper. Since taking over in 2016, Roberts has led the Dodgers to a division title in every season except 2021, a season the club finished with 106 wins. The former big league outfielder became the 69th manager in MLB history to win 1,000 games and the third active manager, joining the Reds' Terry Francona (2,072 wins) and the Tigers' A.J. Hinch (1,001 wins), who reached the goal on Monday.
San Diego Struggles
In the opposing dugout, San Diego and first-year manager Craig Stammen are looking to recapture the club's early-season form, when the Padres opened the year 31-20 and led the NL West. The last 34 games haven't been kind to San Diego—posting a 12-22 record with a -36 run differential on the season.
While Los Angeles' offense ranks at the top of the league in most offensive categories, San Diego's ranks at the bottom. The Padres' lineup owns the second-worst OBP (.300), SLG% (.372) and OPS (.672) in the majors. Despite leading the team in home runs and RBIs, veteran third baseman Manny Machado is in midst of the worst season of his 15-year career—owning the second-lowest batting average among qualified hitters at .190 in 305 at-bats. In 84 games, superstar right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has struggled with the long ball, homering just five times this season. Xander Bogaerts, who is owed $25.45 million through the 2033 season, is hitting .232 with a subpar SLG% at .324.
The starting pitching hasn't been a bright spot either. The current rotation consisting of RHP Michael King, RHP Walker Buehler, RHP Randy Vasquez, RHP Griffin Canning and LHP JP Sears has a combined ERA of 5.33, a troubling statistic that points to a lack of depth and young talented arms in the organization. The staff has dealt with a litany of injuries with RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Nick Pivetta, RHP German Marquez and RHP Matt Waldron all sidelined.
If San Diego wants to reach the postseason for the fourth time in five years, the team will be forced to lean on its bullpen. The Padres' bullpen ranks among the best in baseball, with flamethrowing closer Mason Miller leading the way with 21 saves and appearing well on his way to a second consecutive All-Star selection. Southpaws Wandy Peralta and Adrian Morejon have provided stability in the middle innings while righty Jason Adam has pitched well out of the set-up role. With an offense that struggles to produce runs, the bullpen will be relied upon to win tight, low-scoring games for San Diego.
Thursday, July 2, 7:10 p.m.: RHP Randy Vasquez (6-6, 4.44 ERA) vs. RHP Roki Sasaki (3-5, 4.88 ERA)
Vasquez is looking to rebound after a poor start against LA on Saturday, where the right-hander allowed seven runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3.1 innings. Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing tagged Vasquez for home runs in the eventual 15-3 loss that began the losing streak. Similar to Vasquez, Sasaki is also searching for a bounce-back outing after tossing just four innings against San Diego on Friday. The young righty from Japan allowed a three-run shot to Ty France in the second inning that led to a 7-1 Padres win.
Friday, July 3, 7:10 p.m.: RHP Michael King (5-7, 3.55 ERA) vs. RHP Shohei Ohtani (8-2, 1.58 ERA)
King takes the ball for the 18th time this season trying to control the zone more in his second consecutive start against LA after tying a season-high five walks in Sunday's 4-2 loss. The San Diego ace struck out five and allowed all four runs across 4.1 innings. Ohtani, who continues to unlock new levels to his greatness, will look to start his month of July looking to match his numbers from May—where he owned a 1.08 ERA in 25.0 innings. The two-way superstar will make his first start in 9 days after being scratched from Wednesday's game against the A's.
Saturday, July 4, 7:10 p.m.: RHP Griffin Canning (1-7, 7.09 ERA) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-5, 2.67 ERA)
Canning must make the most of every opportunity if he wants to remain on the major league roster when fellow right-handers Pivetta and Giolito return from the injured list. The first-year Padre has posted an ERA just below seven in his last five outings and has only pitched into the sixth innings once this season. Yamamoto, coming off a historic 2025 World Series, took a no-hitter into the ninth inning in a start against the Chicago White Sox last month and continues to make every penny of his 12-year, $325 million contract count.
Sunday, July 5, 4:20 p.m.: LHP JP Sears (1-1, 6.97 ERA) vs. RHP Emmet Sheehan (4-5, 5.08 ERA)
The series finale will feature its first lefty as Sears takes the hill for the third time this season. In 10.1 innings, the southpaw has surrendered four home runs while striking out nine. Sheehan is the one Los Angeles starter that has struggled in the first half, posting a 6.00 ERA in his last five starts.
INJURY REPORT
Los Angeles: C Will Smith 10-day IL (neck), SP Tyler Glasnow 60-day IL (back), RP Blake Treinen 15-day IL (elbow), SP Blake Snell 60-day IL (elbow), RP Edwin Diaz 60-day IL (elbow), INF Enrique Hernandez 10-day IL (oblique)
San Diego: C Luis Campusano 10-day IL (toe), SP Nick Pivetta 60-day IL (forearm), SP German Marquez 15-day IL (forearm), SP Lucas Giolito 15-day IL (elbow)