It was not easy putting the word 'Rivalry' in quotation marks, but I think this had to be done, unfortunately. The San Diego Padres just got swept in three games at Dodger Stadium which is not pleasant at all, but the teams' recent history against the Dodgers now just keeps going under.
What once was becoming an excitingly new rivalry in the game of baseball that needs some new change has become all but that as of late. For a San Diego Padres team that had their payroll increase three times as much over the past few years leading to big-named free agent acquisitions and trades has still not been able to compete with the ever-so dominant Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been the N.L. West leaders from 2013-2020. (Most certainly in 2022 as well.)
Yes, Tatis Jr. is currently in San Antonio on the verge of making his 2022 debut, but that still will not resolve everything for this team if they meet up with Los Angeles in the postseason just like 2020. The dominant San Diego pitching staff does not show their best results against a team that makes you pay for your mistakes. Take Max Muncy for example. The current .170 hitter took advantage of a Mike Clevinger hanging slider and went yard to put the Dodgers up 5-3 at the time in game two if this series and never looked back.
The blockbuster deal that brought Soto, Bell and eventually Drury later on have not panned out in a handful of games. Yes, Soto has walked and was so close to a home run in the series opener, but I am confident the bats will figure it out. It is the pitching woes that are more worrisome in my opinion.
Putting the hate aside, all credit goes to L.A. for the record they have maintained with all the injuries that have plagued the roster. However, San Diego should be competing close enough with that competition rather than fighting for dear life just to hope for a Wild Card spot. In addition, if these two teams meet when it matters most, we have to recall the Dodgers three-game sweep of the Padres in the 2020 NLDS. (Yes, I know the Padres suffered injuries, but that further proves my point.)
In 2022, the Dodgers are 7-2 against the Pads with a whopping 51 to 18 runs scored / against ratio. It seems like they have the secret formula behind the Padres' pitching tendencies and that their offense is just that lethal.
San Diego's offense was held to just four runs combined in three games. That was without the Dodgers having Buehler, Kershaw, Treinen and so on. As for scoring opportunities, many were washed away. The Friars were 0-8 with RISP with 6 LOB, 2-9 RISP with 6 LOB for game two and no runners in scoring position for the finale. Yeah, you read that right. The offense will soon click together like it did with Soto's debut and more. against the Rockies, but it needs to come soon with the schedule winding down and the playoff push getting more intriguing in the National League.
The Padres have nine games left versus the Dodgers this season, to which the most critical month of division-played baseball comes soon in September. The team needs to turn it around quickly or else we could be getting a glimpse of how the 2021 season panned out yet again.
Keep an eye out for a new episode next week. Hopefully it is not all as bad as the performance we just witnessed this past weekend.
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