Tuesday’s meeting between the Padres and Dodgers at Dodger Stadium produced a surge that pushed “dodgers” to the top of today’s rising searches in the United States, per Google Trends. The contest generated 50,000+ searches, and the series opener carried the weight of more than one of 162 regular-season matchups. It felt like a statement match for a Padres club that has turned its season around.
San Diego has spent recent weeks feasting on stumblebums and mediocrities, and the Dodgers represent a step up that feels worlds apart. The Padres finally met a quality opponent after a run of weak competition, and the difference was evident from the very first pitch.
Manny Machado got hit by a first-inning fastball from Brock Stewart, which sent him sprawling to the ground and knocked his helmet off. He answered by nodding his head while the Dodger Stadium crowd booed. The Dodgers star then grounded out, setting up a possible rematch that could come in October.
The Turnaround Numbers
The Padres’ turnaround is the headline. San Diego has climbed from a 44-45 record to an NL-best 43-24 mark since the two clubs last faced off on July 5. The Padres left L.A. after dropping eight of their previous nine games, but now they lead the National League with the best record over that span.
The “bad” Padres left L.A. sitting last in runs scored and batting average, 27th in starting-pitching ERA and 22nd in home runs over nearly 90 games. The “good” Padres have placed third in runs scored, 10th in starting-pitching ERA and seventh in home runs in the nearly 80 games since July 6.
The shift was not limited to one player. Fernando Tatis Jr. rediscovered his power, hitting 20 home runs. Jackson Merrill, a 23-year-old who had endured the worst first half of his three-year career, responded by batting .308 with 16 home runs and a .905 OPS since July 6.
Machado, 34, was hitting for power and drawing walks but batting just .190. He has since batted .256 with 10 home runs since July 6. Ty France, already having a fine season, has gone on a career-best tear, batting .344 with 11 home runs, a .410 on-base percentage and a .972 OPS over the past two-plus months.
The Trade Payoff
The Padres’ front office and coaching staff proved their worth, with A.J. Preller trading for starting pitchers Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, who have since delivered desperately needed innings to the starting rotation, even after their struggles.
The farm system also graduated catcher Ethan Salas, who hit a walk-off single and has earned the trust of 2025 ace Nick Pivetta. Dustin Harris, a lefty hitter/corner outfielder, has locked up the No. 2 spot by batting .353 with five extra-base hits in about 70 at-bats since coming up from the Pacific Coast League last month.
Pitching coaches and Stammen collaborated with Preller and his team on a matchup-driven approach to pitching, which improved the rotation during a two-week span when it looked like Preller might need to sell, not buy, ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
“The goal of every season is that you get better as the season goes,” Stammen said Tuesday, before L.A. took a 4-0 lead against ace Michael King, whose accuracy was off. “And there are peaks and valleys throughout that. But you want to be trending in the right direction at the end.”
What It Means for the Playoffs
The Padres have improved significantly since their last trip to L.A., when they sat seventh in the wild-card standings. They now occupy a strong position to reach the postseason. Whether they can sustain that standing remains to be seen.
Los Angeles holds a 4-0 advantage going into the first contest of the series, which concluded with the Dodgers prevailing by a score of 7-0. The outcome of the next three matchups will reveal whether San Diego has truly made headway.
The search numbers show a rising term. The Padres-Dodgers rivalry has renewed itself, and the next three games will provide the answers.
Source material: “Tom Krasovic: Padres are much improved; we’ll see if it’s enough to beat LA,” sandiegouniontribune.com.
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