Padres Face Dodgers Amid Key Injuries and Competitive NL West

San Diego, California — The San Diego Padres are on a challenging path as they prepare for a critical series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After losing two consecutive series against NL West rivals, including two of three to the Dodgers last week, the Padres find themselves two games behind Los Angeles in the division.

The Padres currently sit at 39-31, holding the third wild-card spot in the National League with a plus-25 run differential, placing them 12th in the majors. In contrast, the Dodgers lead the division at 43-29 and have a notable plus-71 run differential, ranking fifth in Major League Baseball.

Starting Monday, the matchup features Padres right-hander Dylan Cease (2-5, 4.28 ERA) facing Dodgers ace Shohei Ohtani, who is making his return after a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery. Cease is coming off a strong performance against the Dodgers where he struck out a season-high 11 batters, but he also walked a season-high five in that game.

Meanwhile, Ohtani, who has a career 3.01 ERA in 481⅔ innings, faced the Padres once before, allowing five runs in five innings back in July 2023. The Dodgers will have to navigate a rotation filled with injury challenges; they have 14 pitchers on the injured list.

The Padres will also feature Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.57 ERA) on Tuesday and Stephen Kolek (3-2, 3.50 ERA) on Wednesday. Kolek’s impressive scoreless streak reached 16⅔ innings before he gave up four earned runs in his last outing against the Diamondbacks.

In the Padres’ camp, the team is adjusting to injuries as outfielder Jackson Merrill has been placed on the seven-day concussion list after a collision. Other players, including Jason Heyward and Bryan Hoeing, are rehabbing in the minors as they continue to work through their injuries.

The Dodgers, now with Ohtani back in the lineup, are expected to face a tough series against a hungry Padres team. Manager Dave Roberts has yet to name starters for some games this week, creating anticipation for what lies ahead.

This matchup is not just significant for standings but also highlights the rivalry and competitive spirit in the NL West as teams battle for playoff positioning.