One of Major League Baseball's most compelling rivalries of the current era makes its 2026 debut starting Monday at Petco Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers are the back-to-back World Series champions with legitimate designs on becoming MLB's first three-peat since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees. The Padres, meanwhile, are off to a strong start under first-year manager Craig Stammen and aiming to make the playoffs for the third straight year.
Going into Monday night's series opener, the Dodgers (29-18) lead the Padres (28-28) in the National League West standings by a mere half-game. The Padres currently occupy the top wild-card spot in the National League.
Dodgers on five-game winning streak
Los Angeles comes in having won five in a row, including a rivalry weekend sweep of the Angels where they outscored their L.A.-area rivals 31-3. Superstar Shohei Ohtani is showing signs of heating up, going eight for his last 17 with a homer.
The Padres are fresh off a Vedder Cup sweep of the Seattle Mariners. This could be one of those years where every game winds up mattering in the NL West race.
Thing 1: Dodgers' rotation depth being challenged
The Dodgers are accustomed to trotting out ace after ace in their rotation, but injuries have changed that. Two of their best starters are on the injured list.
Tyler Glasnow has been sidelined since the first week of May with lower back spasms after being dominant across his first seven starts. Left-handed pitcher Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, is back on the IL after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow.
Starters Gavin Stone and Landon Knack are also on the IL and have yet to pitch for the Dodgers this season. Manager Dave Roberts is going with a traditional five-man rotation, even though the Dodgers would prefer a six-man arrangement.
Compounding matters, Monday starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto has struggled of late, allowing 15 runs over his last 24⅓ innings.
Series essentials
Game 1: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-3, 3.60) vs. RHP Michael King (3-2, 2.63)
Game 2: RHP Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.54) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (0-2, 10.64)
Game 3: RHP Shohei Ohtani (3-2, 0.82) vs. RHP Randy Vásquez (5-1, 2.68)
It's a clash of right-handers in every game. The Dodgers rank second in MLB in wOBA against right-handed pitchers, while the Padres rank just 24th.