A couple of weeks ago, we were talking about the possibility of the San Diego Padres hanging with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
They were very close in the standings, and at one point, the Padres had tied the Dodgers at the top.
On Wednesday, July 7, we can firmly say that things have changed.
“In less than a week, the Dodgers raised their lead in the NL West from 1.5 to 6 games,” Dodgers reporter Blake Harris tweeted.
In less than a week, the Dodgers raised their lead in the NL West from 1.5 to 6 games
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) July 7, 2022
In fact, the Dodgers are working on a three-game winning streak and have earned victories in seven of their last 10 contests.
On the other hand, the Padres have dropped eight of their last 10 and two in a row.
For a stretch, they were without both Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
The Padres Badly Need Tatis
Machado’s absence from his ankle injury was shorter than we all anticipated, but he is yet to find his rhythm at the plate and continue the torrid pace that made him an early-season MVP candidate.
Tatis, meanwhile, is still nowhere near an MLB field, which is extremely frustrating.
Tatis, recovering from a fractured wrist suffered in the offseason, projects to join the Padres in late July or early August, which still seems far away even though it’s roughly three or four weeks from now.
He is taking dry swings and could advance to hitting soon, and will need a rehab assignment after that.
In any case, the division dream is quickly escaping the Padres.
Getting Tatis back would certainly help a lot, but they need to find a way to win games in the next month or so.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are enjoying a stellar season from mound aces Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urias, and their hitters have been excellent as usual.
They should be considered the heavy favorites to win the NL West going forward.
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