The San Diego Padres were one of the red-hot teams in baseball heading into their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers for Players' Weekend. They had won 23 of their last 25 and were determined to further their NL West lead on the division rival, but things haven't gone as planned.
The Padres have scored two total runs against the Dodgers in the two games that have been played heading into Sunday, and Los Angeles will look to sweep San Diego as Yu Darvish takes the mound against Tyler Glasnow for the series finale.
"We had a plan, and they made some plays," manager Mike Shildt told The Athletic after San Diego lost to the Padres' former Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, Blake Snell, on Saturday. Snell went on to throw six scoreless innings in his most successful start as a member of the Dodgers.
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Although San Diego has achieved great success in recent months, including a trade deadline haul in July, the Padres have struggled to put together competitive games against the Dodgers. Their worrisome failures against Los Angeles will go on to a fifth straight series.
"Dating back to a year ago, and including their win in the National League Division Series, the Dodgers have taken each of the last five series they’ve played against San Diego," said The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya after Los Angeles' series-winning game on Saturday.
The division rivals still have four games remaining over the next eight days, a stretch that could help shape the NL West race heading into September. Meanwhile, the Padres are still searching for answers against Dave Roberts and the defending World Series champions.