Meeting the Padres in the last home game before the playoffs

Sep 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31) walks off the mound during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect After this matchup, the next time the

Baseball Zone

SEE ALL

AP News

White Sox clinch a playoff spot with a 9-1 rout of the Royals after back-to-back 100-loss seasons

SB Nation

Nationals prospect Devin Fitz-Gerald has persevered despite a trying year on and off the field

USA Today

No longer defined by 121 losses, White Sox punch ticket to MLB postseason

What is the story about?

After this matchup, the next time the Dodgers play at home, it will likely be hosting the winner of the WC series between the third- and sixth-place teams, and the theme of this game against the Friars is one. Having split the first two games of this series, the Dodgers are still one win away from that second seed in the National League, and for the Padres, it’s one win away from clinching a playoff berth—even though they currently occupy the fourth seed, one game up on the Phillies and Cubs.

The

contrast between the importance of securing that one win in this specific game could not be bigger. For the Dodgers, visiting the lowly Giants at the end of the season, whatever happens here, only a travesty could prevent them from sitting out the Wild Card round. It’d take a travesty for the Padres too, but it’s a more real possibility given they host the Diamondbacks in the final series of the year. A sweep there isn’t particularly likely, but ideally, San Diego would like to play that series with the playoff spot locked up.

Carrying on the similarities, you have a pitching matchup with two names that could be defined as the X factors for these teams and their respective goals in postseason baseball. Nick Pivetta and Tyler Glasnow are both coming off injury-filled campaigns, with the pair combined falling short of 20 starts. All things considered, though, at least Glasnow has been fully built up for some time, while Pivetta has yet to crack 80 pitches in his three starts back, slowly working his way up.