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The Dodgers host the new-look Padres for a much-anticipated three-game series starting Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Padres made a splash at the trade deadline this week when they acquired Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Brandon Drury. That San Diego lineup does look mighty formidable, but the Padres remain 12½ games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West. They haven’t accomplished anything yet except for creating a lot of buzz.
The Dodgers were clearly the superior team when the NL West rivals met last month. There wasn’t much hoopla surrounding the two teams when they matched up this season so far, but we’ve had a couple of benches-clearing brouhahas in each of the previous two seasons. Now that the Padres have moved to close the gap offensively, there might be renewed sparks of rivalry when they clash this weekend in L.A.
The Dodgers gain Chris Taylor, who returns from the injured list. The Dodgers lose Clayton Kershaw, who landed on the injured list for the second time this season.
Speaking of losing it, Tony Gonsolin (12-1, 2.41 ERA, 0.898 WHIP) looks to regain that first-half magic he had for the Dodgers. So far, in the second half, Gonsolin has allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits in 11 innings.
Sean Manaea (6-5, 4.25 ERA, 3.4 BB/9) has allowed two home runs apiece to Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and Joey Gallo.
Dodgers-Padres lineups
| Pos | Padres | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Padres | Pos | Dodgers |
| LF | Profar (S) | RF | Betts |
| RF | Soto (L) | SS | Turner |
| DH | Machado | 1B | Freeman (L) |
| 1B | Bell (S) | C | Smith |
| 2B | Cronenworth (L) | 2B | Taylor |
| 3B | Drury | 3B | Alberto |
| CF | Grisham (L) | DH | Vargas |
| C | Alfaro | LF | Thompson |
| SS | Kim | CF | Bellinger (L) |
Game info
- Teams: Dodgers (72-33) vs. Padres (61-47)
- Location: Dodger Stadium
- First pitch: 7:10 p.m. PT
- Tonight’s Vin Scully tribute starts at 6:30 p.m. PT. If you’re not at Dodger Stadium, you can watch on MLB Network or SportsNet LA. (MLB Network’s tribute coverage will air in the L.A. market)
- TV: SportsNet LA
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