While it’s very likely that the San Diego Padres will join the Los Angeles Dodgers as the other NL West team to reach the postseason, they can’t really claim that there’s much of a rivalry happening.
The Dodgers took two out of three from the Padres this weekend at Petco Park and reduced their magic number to clinch the NL West to three while increasing their division lead up to a commanding 20 games.
In fact, the Dodgers have won eight straight series against the Padres, as well as 21 of their last 25 games against their NL West rivals.
Needless to say, the gap between the two teams is quite wide, and probably too wide to call this a rivalry.
The Dodgers have won 21 of their last 25 games against the Padres
They’ve won 8 straight series against them
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) September 11, 2022
Dodger Dominance
The Dodgers have had the Padres’ number for quite some time, and the 2022 season proved to be no different for them.
They’ll match up with the Padres again in late September, but by then, the NL West race will be over, and the Dodgers will have already clinched the division title.
So naturally, there isn’t a whole lot of competition between the two squads.
While both are strong teams on paper and have rosters that could compete for the World Series, the Dodgers have simply dominated the Padres this season and are clearly the better team, both on paper and in the standings.
It’s been a pretty one-sided affair to say the least, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
It’s the Dodgers’ world and the Padres are just living in it.
It’s not going to take long for the Dodgers to finally wrap up the division race.
But maybe, once the two teams meet again, the Padres will have somewhat of an edge with the Dodgers potentially resting their regulars.
NEXT: Josh Hader Got An Important First Wednesday Night