The San Diego Padres are doing everything they can to avoid complicating the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ pursuit of the National League West division pennant. In a final stretch where there’s no room for letting up, the team expected to challenge LA’s dominance is falling short of its goal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are now one game closer to clinching the division after the Padres lost to the New York Mets 8-3.
Dodgers inch closer to continued dominance
With this San Diego loss to the Mets (a team fighting for its own postseason aspirations), the Dodgers have lowered their magic number to nine to secure the National League West, not counting the game they are currently playing against the Philadelphia Phillies.
This means that as of September 17, they could be just eight games away from achieving the season’s primary goal.
The situation for San Diego is genuinely concerning. Over their last 15 games, they’ve lost nine, a record that makes it nearly impossible to compete for the division title.
The divisional race is critical because it allows the Dodgers to bypass the always unpredictable Wild Card Round. This would provide rest for both the bullpen and the starting pitchers before the playoffs begin, potentially easing the pressure on manager Dave Roberts.
At this moment, the Dodgers cannot finish higher than the third seed after losing the first game of their series against the Phillies, who have already secured the second seed. If the Milwaukee Brewers or Phillies face the Dodgers in the playoffs, Los Angeles will not have home-field advantage.
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