When the Los Angeles Dodgers finished with the best NL record since 1906 with 111-wins last season, most thought it was a given that they would at least make it to the World Series, if not win it all. Quickly, everyone found out that once the postseason begins, the regular season means nothing. In the Dodgers one round of the playoffs last season, they were upended by their NL West rival, the red-hot San Diego Padres.
Were the Padres about to become the new kings of the west? Or was their biggest victory about to possibly become their greatest hurdle?
The Padres were put out in the NLCS series (4-1) against the Philadelphia Phillies. But that still didn't change the fact that the Padres did something special in the NLDS against the Dodgers, arguably winning one of the biggest series in franchise history. They may not have made the World Series but taking the NLDS from the Dodgers made a strong statement going into this season.
It was clear that the Padres had talent coming into this year, and that was before they signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal. Their roster probably has three to four of the top-15 players in the entire league with guys like Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Manny Machado. But still — no one thought they were going to beat the Dodgers. Nobody. Whether that was in the regular season or in the postseason. Last year was a fluke, right?
Throughout the first two months of the regular season, they proved that to be true thus far.
Currently, the Padres are 1-5 against the Dodgers and are fourth place in the NL West (20-24), just one game better than the laboring Colorado Rockies. In 19 games in 2022, the Padres were 5-14 against the Dodgers. However, they finished second in the division behind the Dodgers at 89-73. Despite that, second place was 22 games back of 111-win Los Angeles.
With the 2023 season changing the amount of times division opponents play each other, at least the Padres only have to play the Dodgers 13 times this season instead of 19 like in years past. There are seven more chances for the Padres to make up for their current drumming from the Dodgers — even though the Dodgers have won the last 11 regular season series.
But will it matter by then?
The Diamondbacks, who are in second place in the NL West currently, although young, are scrappy and ready to show they can compete within the division. If by the trade deadline they're still in second place, closing in on the Dodgers, they'll make some moves in hopes of standing toe-to-toe with them and others in the playoffs.
The Padres, alternatively, are running out of time and yet it's only May. But what's the problem?
It's a lack of cohesiveness and team chemistry, believes MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
What I’m talking about is more identity than chemistry, though chemistry is part of it. The Dodgers have it, which is one reason they won their 11th straight regular-season series against the Padres this weekend, sweeping three games at Dodger Stadium. The Padres, for all the money they’ve spent, all the star power they’ve collected, are more a collection of individuals than a cohesive unit…
The Padres are a top-heavy, slapped-together collection of imported stars.
The Padres have spent more coins and collected more stars than Mario in a Nintendo game. Yet they still can't beat their dreaded Bowser.
It's been proven before that just because your team has the biggest checkbook doesn't mean that it will automatically equate to winning games. Just ask the New York Mets, who have the highest payroll in the league. Rosenthal seems right in his assumptions, however, ego surely has something to do with it .
The Padres seem to be living off last year's success of finally slaying the blue dragon from L.A. Sure, beating the Dodgers and putting them out of the playoffs was great, but that doesn't mean they surpassed them coming into this year. If that was their thought — how foolish were they? How ego-centric could this team really be that is star-studded from top to bottom?
After losing a series to the Kansas City Royals, Machado said the team had a player's only meeting discussing the team's most recent struggles. While the details of that meeting have been kept hush, it's clear that this team has a lot of work to do, growing increasingly impatient by the game.