The Padres are just one game under .500. The Dodgers, less dominant than in recent years, have a slim lead in the National League West.
The stakes might not be as high as fans had hoped at the beginning of 2023 as L.A. comes to town Friday, but there’s more than bragging rights on the line for the four-game set at Petco Park.
The games also follow a flurry of roster activity in the past week, in part due to Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Players coming to Petco Park’s home dugout Friday – with the goal of filling in offensive holes and solving bullpen issues:
- Rich Hill and Ji Man Choi – the Padres added a starter and a first baseman/DH in their trade with Pittsburgh (they gave up pitcher Jackson Wolf, infielder Alfonso Rivas and outfielder Estuar Suero in the deal). Hill, a former Dodger, could start Sunday, according to MLB.com, while the team hopes Choi can address offensive questions at first and DH.
- Garrett Cooper and Sean Reynolds – The team sent starter Ryan Weathers, who had been sent down to AAA-El Paso, to Miami, for Cooper, another piece at first and DH, and Reynolds, a pitching prospect (they assigned him to El Paso).
- Scott Barlow – the reliever won’t close with Josh Hader around – he had 13 saves for the woeful Royals this year – but on Wednesday he supplied five outs in middle relief in a Padre rout of Colorado (the team sent pitchers Jesus Rios and Henry Williams to Kansas City).
So without making anything similar to the deadline splashes of the last few years, Padres executive A.J. Preller told MLB.com, “We feel like we shored up some holes,” adding that the team hopes the additions make “a difference going forward.”
And at this point, that means helping the Padres break the logjam of teams trying to secure the third and final wild-card spot. The Reds, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Cubs all stand in their way.
Two people fans won’t see, in the short-term, are Joe Musgrove and Tim Hill. The starter has a sore shoulder, but so far it isn’t enough of a concern to land him on the IL. Reliever Hill, however, with a sprained finger, has begun a stint on the 15-day IL, effective Wednesday.
Yu Darvish and Blake Snell are set to take the mound the first two games of the series against the Dodgers, with Sunday’s starter TBD, followed by Seth Lugo.
