Two years ago, the Padres knocked off the Dodgers in a monumental upset. Los Angeles won 22 more games than the Padres in the regular season but that didn’t mean anything in the playoffs. Now, the Dodgers and Padres will meet in the 2024 NLDS. Here’s our preview of the series.
Scheduled Starters and Start Times
- Game 1 (10/5/24): Dylan Cease (Padres) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) – 8:38 PM ET
- Game 2 (10/6/24): Yu Darvish (Padres) vs. Jack Flaherty (Dodgers) – 8:03 PM ET
- Game 3 (10/8/24): TBD) vs. TBD – 9:08 PM ET
- Game 4 (10/9/24): TBD vs. TBD – 9:08 PM ET
- Game 5 (10/11/24): TBD vs. TBD – 8:08 PM ET
The first four games are scheduled to air on FS1. Game 5, if necessary, will air on FOX.
A Look at the Offenses
| Stat |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 760 | 842 |
| Home Runs | 190 | 233 |
| OPS | .745 | .781 |
| Whiff% | 20.2% | 25.1% |
| Hard Hit% | 38.6% | 41.3% |
The Padres’ offense did what was needed to get past the Braves. Kyle Higashioka and Fernando Tatis Jr. helped power the Padres with home runs, in what is a very entertaining and deep offense.
Between Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill, the Dodgers’ pitching staff will be heavily tasked.
As for the Dodgers, their lineup was excellent. Los Angeles (NL) led the league in OPS, thanks in large part to Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani drilled 54 home runs this year and stole 59 in a season that’ll likely net him his third MVP award.
Ohtani’s part of a deep lineup that includes Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the latter of whom will play after he suffered a sprained ankle late in the regular season.
Even though the Dodgers were without Betts and Freeman at points this season, Los Angeles didn’t need Ohtani during the regular season. But, this is why the Dodgers got him. Los Angeles’ offense was unproductive last October when six runs were scored over three games. Now, the Dodgers will hope for different results.
A Look at the Pitching
| Stat | | |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.91 | 4.23 |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.78 | 3.53 |
| Strikeouts | 1,453 | 1,390 |
| Opponents’ AVG | .238 | .235 |
| Chase% | 29.3% | 27.7% |
The Padres’ pitching staff was fantastic during the NL Wild Card Round. San Diego pitchers posted a 2.00 ERA and struck out 23 over 18 innings against the Braves. However, not all was great.
Joe Musgrove, who was dominant over the final month of the year, left his Game 2 start with elbow soreness. Further tests revealed elbow ligament damage and he’ll need Tommy John surgery. Musgrove will miss all of 2025.
Still, the Padres have pitching depth. Dylan Cease struck out 224 this season, while Yu Darvish will get the second game. Then, there’s Michael King, who struck out 12 Braves in Game 1 of the previous series.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will march with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 1 and Jack Flaherty in Game 2. Per the Dodgers, Flaherty will get the second game to line him up for a potential Game 5 start.
The Dodgers need Flaherty and Yamamoto to provide quality, especially since the latter will likely not be able to deliver quantity. Yamamoto, who struck out 105 over 95 in his rookie season, was limited to three to five-inning outings after he returned from the IL in September. The good news for the Dodgers is Yamamoto pitched five innings (71 pitches) in his final regular-season outing.
Walker Buehler and Landon Knack are on the Dodgers’ roster, while Clayton Kershaw was shut down. Kershaw made just seven starts this season.
Our Prediction
The series looked slightly titled towards the Padres. San Diego is hot and the Dodgers’ rotation doesn’t look as good. But, the Dodgers have a lot of firepower to work with. It’s going to be a bloodbath but we’ll go with the Dodgers to get some revenge after 2022.
Be sure to check out our previews of the Royals/Yankees, Tigers/Guardians, and Mets/Phillies series.