The San Diego Padres' magic number for the playoffs is just two, but they have to play the Dodgers this week.
The road to the playoffs currently looks smooth as silk for the San Diego Padres. They’ve won 13 of their last 14 games, and that includes five straight as the Padres swept the Miami Marlins in their latest series.
Then there’s that upcoming Dodgers series. It’s happening up the road in LA this week, during a season in which the Padres have struggled mightily against their big-spending big brother to the north.
Both teams know the importance of this season. According to an ESPN report, the Dodgers are juggling their rotation specifically for this series and the postseason beyond.
They brought up Emmet Sheehan on Sunday to be the bulk reliever against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, and the Dodgers also recalled Kyle Hurt, placed Tarik Skubal on the bereavement list and optioned Seth Havorsen to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per the report.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he’s seeing more “urgency” from some of his pitchers as the season winds down, and the moves will leave both Sheehan and Roki Sasaki out of the playoff rotation. Sasaki will work out of the bullpen against the Padres, and he has a strong track record in that role, as he posted an ERA of 0.84 in 10-2/3 innings last year as Dodgers won the World Series.
The Dodgers are also hoping to get Shohei Ohtani back on the mound, with the report indicating that that could happen this week against the Padres.
The Padres are currently sitting pretty at the top of the wild-card standings, as they’re tied for the top spot with the Chicago Cubs, but their record against the Dodgerss just 3-7 this year.
Manager Craig Stammen knows that being swept out of LA is a distinct possibility. He, too, juggled his rotation to have Michael King available for the season finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks just in case things go sideways for San Diego this week.
The series starts tomorrow night with a strength vs. strength pitching matchup, with Robbie Ray going for the Padres against Yoshinobu Yamomoto for the Dodgers. San Diego’s magic number is currently at two, and they have the Philadelphia Phillies behind them in the wild-card race.
But the Arizona Diamondback are on the road this week against the Colorado Rockies, which could be three easy wins for the Padres’ pursuers, although Coors Field will take a toll on Arizona’s pitching staff regardless.
