Aug 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) hits a solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Dodgers' Mookie Betts Gets Honest About NL West Race With Padres

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a bit of an uncomfortable situation.

After a poor showing against the San Diego Padres in the first two games of the series this past weekend, superstar Mookie Betts spoke on the tight division race and what it means for the team.

He told All-Star teammate Will Smith on his Bleacher Report podcast On Base that the high stakes pressure for the remaining 30 games will actually help the Dodgers in October.

Mookie Betts says he thinks the Padres & Dodgers division race will help them in the long run:

“I kind of appreciate this because it forces us to play the whole season. I remember my first couple of years we won the division with weeks left in the season.”

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“I kind of appreciate this because it forces us to play the whole season," Betts said. "I remember my first couple of years we won the division with weeks left in the season, and we ended up getting put out a couple of times early. Now with [the Padres] tied with us, it's gonna help us in the long run.”

Betts' first year on the Dodgers, 2020, ended in lifting a World Series trophy, but the next three seasons featured tons of regular season success, without the October hardware to match it.

The San Francisco Giants won the NL West during the 2021 season, even though it featured 106 regular season wins for LA. The Dodgers battled hard but were sent home by the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves (led by future Dodger Freddie Freeman).

The 2022 season was more of the same, this time reclaiming the NL West with an absurd 111 wins, but the excitement concluded early as the San Diego Padres beat the Dodgers in the NLDS that year.

In 2023, the 100-win Dodgers took home another division title, but were bounced by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS on their way to claiming the NL pennant that year.

Betts certainly has a point that, at least when he has been on the team, the more intense divisional battles towards the end of the regular season can lead to a fire being lit under his team, but no such fire is anywhere to be found on the Dodgers.

With about five weeks to go until October, major changes need to made with the mindset of the squad, and hopefully have it result in finally returning to the top spot in the division.

Betts seems to be doing what he can lately, responding to a five-game hitless streak to start August by batting .323 with an OPS of .830 in his last 16 outings.