The San Diego Padres put up a good fight during Game 1 against the Dodgers, but not much could’ve slowed Los Angeles Down down.
The Padres’ pitching staff did a great job of shutting down some of the Dodgers’ biggest bats in Game 1. But according to Noah Camras of Dodgers Nation, Los Angeles is more stacked than people may realize.
Camras tweeted, “Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Justin Turner went a combined 0-10. The Dodgers won 5-3. That has to have the Padres terrified.”
The Dodgers have remained one of the best teams in the league for years
It was almost predictable, before the season even started, that Los Angeles would be in the playoffs again this season. They’ve made the playoffs every season since 2013 and have made the World Series three times in that span.
They’re a powerhouse team. With one of the largest payrolls, it’s no surprise that they have managed to build themselves up to this point. During the regular season, among all MLB teams, they had the fourth-best batting average (.257), best on-base percentage (.333), second-best slugging percentage (.442) and best OPS (.775).
Their rotation is just as good. They had the best ERA (2.80), opponent batting average (.209) and WHIP (1.05). The Padres losing by just two runs in Game 1 is truly a feat, and it proves they have enough potential to be competitive.
The Padres have improved significantly over the years. Before now, they hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2006 (excluding the extremely short 2020 season). They hadn’t had a winning percentage above .500 since 2010 (also excluding 2020). They’ll have to fight hard to advance to the NLCS, but they do have the potential to overtake the Dodgers.
However, they’re unlikely to because Los Angeles has a stellar amount of talent and development on their roster.