The Los Angeles Dodgers play host to the San Diego Padres in the second game of their weekend series from Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers dominated in the series opener on Friday night, coming away with an 8-1 win and setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. With these two expected to be two of the best teams in the National League come the fall, this weekend's series is crucial towards both getting some confidence and momentum going into the final few months. This will be the ninth meeting of the season and considering the Dodgers have won six of eight already this season, the Padres will need to find a way to battle in this one.
There's no doubt that the Padres were the talk of baseball surrounding the trade deadline but so far, it hasn't amounted to much in the standings. They come into Saturday night having lost two games in a row and with their struggles against the Dodgers well documented, they'll be aiming to turn things around in this one. The Padres have gone 6-4 over their last ten overall and even though they might not catch the Dodgers atop the division, they'll want to stay near the top of the Wild Card standings.
Continuing to be without Fernando Tatis Jr. (wrist) isn't ideal, though the deadline moves have at least seemed to bolster the lineup in the meantime. The more pressing concern is being without four relievers, which could be a struggle against a lineup as dangerous as what they'll be facing on Saturday night.
The #Pad res have acquired outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals.
Details: https://t.co/orhwRJEWLh pic.twitter.com/B1CLnNL704
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 2, 2022
According to MLB.com, Mike Clevinger will get the ball for the Padres as the righty aims to get San Diego back into the win column. He come sinto this one with a 3-3 record on the season but an impressive 3.13 ERA. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last three starts and considering his ability to eat up innings as well, the Padres will liek their chances with him on the mound.
San Diego's offense certainly seems dangerous on paper but has struggled to convert into on-field production for much of the season. They hover around the middle of baseball in nearly every offensive category, though their dropoff in home runs from last season has been the larger concern. Over the last week, the lineup has seemed to turn it on though, with a number of players hitting above or around .300, which is exactly what they need if they want to keep pace with the Dodgers.