The Los Angeles Dodgers had the best season in franchise history in 2022. They were hitting on all cylinders until they could only secure one playoff victory and got eliminated by their division rival San Diego Padres in the NLDS.
It was a tough and disappointing ending for the Boys in Blue, especially losing to a squad whose number you’ve had for over a decade.
That’s all in the past, and your Los Angeles Dodgers will try to redeem themselves in 2023.
Our very own Doug McKain asked Dodgers manager Dave Roberts about the newly looked Padres and what a team like San Diego means to them as they fight for another division title.
“It’s good. It still counts as one game once we get to the regular season. We don’t face them as much as we used to with the balanced schedule, but as a competitor, you always want to play against the best and on paper, they’re one of the best teams in baseball and obviously, you take in the geography, the fans interest, so you always want to play those guys.”
2022 left an ugly taste in the Dodgers mouth, including their fans. Due to the balanced schedule, the Dodgers will only play the Padres 13 times compared to the 19 games they’ll play their division opponent.
Over the past decade, Los Angeles has been a nightmare for the Padres. But we don’t even have to look at the past decade; just look at last regular season. The Dodgers went 14-5 and won eight of their ten matchups at one point.
I expect things to be a lot different in 2023, as the Padres are a loaded roster and will now have momentum and confidence on their side when facing the Boys in Blue.
Both of these teams have championship aspirations; however, it all starts by securing a division title. Those 13 regular season games will all be must-watch TV.
