This weekend represents the last 2025 regular-season series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Unfortunately, the rivalry has cooled due to the Dodgers’ dominance over the Padres in head-to-head competition.
It began with their pitching staff holding the Friars scoreless over the final 24 innings in last fall’s National League Division Series. This season, it has been the Dodgers all the time, as they have an 8-2 record over the Padres.
Is the Padres-Dodgers rivalry dead?
Yes, there is a temptation to declare the rivalry
dead. But the animosity between the teams and fan bases still boils over when the two sides meet. No attendee can deny the games have more tension than a typical regular-season contest.
Rarely does a rivalry of this nature have such a lull as this season. San Diego’s frustration stems from the constant uphill climb in the rivalry. The players want to recapture the intensity of the 2022 playoff victory over the Dodgers. But those memories are slowly drifting away.
This weekend, the Padres need to play close to championship-caliber baseball to re-ignite a spark with the national television audience.
If you haven’t noticed, ESPN, Fox, and Apple TV are not televising a single game in the series for the second consecutive weekend. Why? The networks fear bad viewership numbers because the rivalry is one-sided. The Friars need to be more competitive against their rival, which will draw the attention of the masses.
Can the rivalry get white hot again?
Sports rivalries can stand the test of time if the games are competitive and provide memorable moments that live forever. To get the Padres-Dodgers rivalry white hot again, you need each team’s star players to play well in the series. If not, the season turns into dire straits with every media outlet speculating on what went wrong.
Both the Padres and Dodgers possess star power, as Manny Machado and Shohei Ohtani bring eyes to the rivalry. The Friar Faithful have been annoyed by how often Dodger’s pitchers have hit Fernando Tatis Jr. during at-bats. Dugout tensions spilled onto the field as both managers, Mike Shildt and Dave Roberts, confronted one another on the matter.
Do not expect either team to treat the other like an old friend or share a laugh during batting practice this weekend.
The Dodgers are baseball’s marquee franchise, as the Friar Faithful despise how they spend money to acquire players. However, the Padres are no longer an emerging franchise trying to get on the national stage. They also spend money to improve their roster.
Every season, the Friar Faithful hope their favorite team will win the World Series, but the constant roadblock in their path is the Dodgers. I have a feeling they will duel again in October.
Indeed, there is hope for this rivalry to become relevant again.
