SAN DIEGO — The Padres and Dodgers wrapped up their regular-season series on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park. The two fierce National League West rivals have played each other 13 times this year, plus another 118 games apiece against the rest of the league.
The only thing separating them is a tiebreaker.
The Dodgers won Sunday’s finale, 8-2, moving back into first place in the division by virtue of that head-to-head tiebreaker, which they earned by winning the season series, 9-4.
The score is hardly settled, of course. With 31 games to play, the top spot in the NL West is entirely up for grabs. The Padres ensured as much with victories on Friday and Saturday to win this weekend’s series.
If they can be one game better than the Dodgers over the final five weeks, they’ll be in line to win their first division title since 2006.
“We’re playing outstanding baseball,” said manager Mike Shildt. “I don’t tend to get too caught up in today. Today we were disappointed; I’m disappointed. All right, it didn’t happen for us. We couldn’t be more thrilled. We’re tied for our division lead and expect to go win it.”
For now, it’s advantage Dodgers. But considering where things stood a month and a half ago, the Padres won’t mind a five-week sprint to the finish. When they showed up to the ballpark on July 4, they trailed L.A. by nine games. A month and a half later, the NL West is tied at the top — the latest into a season that the Padres have held at least a share of first place since 2010.
“Whoever plays the best baseball, right?” said Fernando Tatis Jr. “It’s definitely a challenge. We definitely want the division. We’re going for it.”
Of course, under the current playoff format, the biggest benefit of a division title is the opportunity to secure a first-round bye. On that front, the Padres would need to pass not only L.A. but Philadelphia as well. With Sunday’s loss, they fell 2 1/2 games back of the Phillies for the No. 2 seed in the NL.
Their schedule is also markedly easier than Philadelphia’s. Neither the Padres nor the Dodgers have a particularly daunting final month-plus. But based solely on the winning percentage of their opponents, the Padres’ remaining schedule is the easiest in the Majors.
“Exactly where we want to be,” left fielder Gavin Sheets said when asked about the tie at the top. “It’s a clean slate right now. We go out, we play our brand of baseball, we just worry about this clubhouse and how we go about our business and win games — that’s all that matters.”
Right-hander Nick Pivetta worked six innings of two-run ball on Sunday — the third quality start by a Padres starter in three games this weekend. Pivetta was on the ropes in the first inning, loading the bases with nobody out. Teoscar Hernández lofted a deep fly ball to the wall in right-center field, where Ramón Laureano leapt and took back a potential grand slam.
Shohei Ohtani would score the game’s first run on the sacrifice fly, but Pivetta escaped without any further damage. He didn’t allow another run (or hit) until Freddie Freeman’s game-tying homer in the sixth.
The Padres, meanwhile, had scored both of their runs on Elias Díaz’s two-run homer in the third. The game hung in the balance into the seventh inning, when both teams went to their bullpens — a battle these Padres typically win.
With two men aboard for the lefty-hitting Dalton Rushing in the top of the seventh, the Padres had lefty reliever Adrian Morejon ready in the bullpen. Of course, the Dodgers almost certainly would have countered by pinch-hitting with Will Smith, a much more accomplished hitter.
Shildt preferred the Rushing-Jeremiah Estrada matchup over Smith-Morejon, and was undeterred by the fact that Estrada has struggled against the Dodgers this season.
“Jeremiah’s been outstanding,” Shildt said. “He was in a lane that, quite frankly, he’s been great [in] for us. People can run from people. I personally don’t.”
Shildt opted to save Morejon for Ohtani on deck, if the game were still tied. It never got that far. Estrada hung a slider, and Rushing launched a three-run homer into the right-field seats. From there, the Dodgers poured it on, and when the dust settled, the division was tied. Again.
Only 31 games — and plenty of scoreboard watching — to settle it. At least before a potential October rematch, that is.
