San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (center) and Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts (50) laugh while at third base during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

If regular season is a guide, Dodgers should KO Padres

By Matthew Brown | Last updated 10/10/22

On their way to winning the World Series in 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept division rival San Diego in the NLDS in three games. If the regular season is an indication, the Dodgers could sweep San Diego when they meet again in the NLDS, which starts Tuesday.

With the additions at the trade deadline of Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Brandon Drury, the Padres are better than their 2020 edition. Over the weekend, No. 5 seed San Diego shocked baseball by taking two of three games from the Mets to win the Wild Card Series.

But Los Angeles owned the Padres during the regular season, winning 14 of 19 and outscoring them, 109-47. The Dodgers didn’t just dominate the Padres, but the entire league. Los Angeles led the majors in runs (847) and on-base percentage (.333) and finished fourth in batting average (.257) and fifth in home runs (212).

In addition to a first-round bye, the Dodgers have the advantage of setting up their pitching rotation. Because Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove pitched in the Wild Card Series, the Padres announced that Mike Clevinger will start Game 1 — a clear advantage for Los Angeles.

Mike Clevinger gets the ball for Game One at Dodger Stadium.

He had a 9.69 ERA against LA this season pic.twitter.com/5cl0x4G1S2
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 10, 2022

The Dodgers have yet to announce their postseason roster or who will start Game 1 (most likely Clayton Kershaw or Julio Urías).

Of course, anything can happen in the playoffs. San Diego outfielder Trent Grisham struggled mightily all season, slashing .184/.284/.341. Yet if an MVP award were given out for the Wild Card Series, Grisham would've won it. He went 4-for-8 with six runs, two home runs and three RBI.

After the Padres acquired Bell, he seemed to lose his swing. His batting average dropped from .301 to .266 and his slugging dipped from .493 to .422, yet he crushed a two-run homer against Max Scherzer in the Wild Card Series.

As Dodgers fans are well aware, Los Angeles is no stranger to playoff collapses, but it seems to have a clear edge in this series.

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