Dodgers vs. Padres Game 1: Preview & Starting Pitchers – May 18

Dodgers vs. Padres Game 1 has that early “NL heavyweight fight” vibe written all over it. Both teams are sitting near the top of the National League, both lineups can change a game, and now they’re opening a massive series under the lights at Petco Park.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is trying to bounce back after a rough outing against San Francisco, while Michael King has been one of the steadiest arms in the league. Add to that Shohei Ohtani, Manny Machado, and a packed San Diego crowd into the mix, and this suddenly feels way bigger than a normal May opener.

Dodgers vs. Padres Game 1: TV Channel, Streaming

Here’s how to watch Monday night’s showdown:

• First pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET
• TV channel: Padres.TV, SportsNet LA
• Location: Petco Park, San Diego
• Streaming option: Fubo
• Series: Game 1 of 4-game set

The Dodgers enter the series leading the NL West race, while the Padres are looking for a statement series on their home field.

Dodgers vs. Padres Game 1: Starting Pitchers

The Dodgers hand the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and overall, the numbers still look strong despite his last outing getting away from him.

Yamamoto enters Monday at 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA and 48 strikeouts across 50.2 innings. He’s been excellent at limiting hard contact most of the season, though the Giants finally got to him for five earned runs in his latest start. The good news for Los Angeles is that his strikeout stuff still looks elite when he’s locating early in counts.