The Los Angeles Dodgers are facing the San Diego Padres for an early taste of a postseason atmosphere on the road.
The Padres have won four of their last five, including six of their last 10. San Diego sits at 42-37, nine games behind the Dodgers in the National League West.
With the halfway point of the season reached, this series will matter more than the first one, as the Dodgers can create real distance between themselves and the Padres if they do well this series.
Meanwhile, San Diego is going to try to claw themselves back into the division picture and establish themselves above .500.
May 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) and shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrate after the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The motivation is high for both teams. Here is what to expect:
Pitching Matchups for Dodgers vs. Padres
Friday June 26: Walker Buehler vs. Roki Sasaki
The Dodgers will have a full amount of rest, bullpen-wise, with all of the arms likely available. Roki Sasaki has a 4.76 ERA on the season, but a 3.89 figure over his last seven starts.
His new splitter has unlocked something, and against one of the poorer offenses in baseball, he should have a strong outing. However, he does tend to suffer more on the road than at home.
Walker Buehler is on a similar trajectory to Sasaki, trending upwards after a rough start. He will have loud support and will likely try to prove a point against the Dodgers, who moved on from him.
Saturday June 27: Randy Vasquez vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto has been absolutely dialed recently, with his ERA back down to his usual level. He is commanding the baseball better and hitting his spots as well. Yamamoto already faced San Diego, going seven innings with one run charged to him.
Vasquez looked reborn early on in the season, but things have gotten rough for him recently. Last time against the Dodgers, he allowed three runs in 4.1 innings back in May.
Jun 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) reacts after the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images
Sunday June 28: Michael King vs. Emmet Sheehan
King has been one of the best pitchers in the National League, continuing what he was doing back in 2025 before injuries got in the way. He has a 3.33 ERA in 92 innings this year.
Back in May, he shut out the Dodgers for seven innings.
Sheehan has a 5.32 ERA in 67.2 innings of work, and his mechanics are all over the place, like they have been for the whole year.
Players to watch
Over the past 10 games, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have been outstanding. Freeman has a 198 wRC+ with a .333 average in that span, with Betts putting up a 188 wRC+ and .350 average.
Freeman will have the pitching matchups to do serious damage to the Padres. As always, Shohei Ohtani will get the main spotlight, and the matchups also benefit him for this series.
Additionally, it will be interesting to see how young players Dalton Rushing and Ryan Ward do, both of whom have not been hitting great over the past 10 games.
