Even the most optimistic San Diego Padres fan couldn’t have possibly imagined the turnaround would happen this quickly.
Entering play on July 4, the Padres were nine games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West. But their 23-12 record in the days since has coincided with a 12-21 slump from the Dodgers, suddenly handing a one-game lead to the Friars.
This is an unfamiliar position for the Padres, who haven’t won a division title since 2006. The Dodgers have run the West, finishing first in 11 of the last 12 years with two World Series titles in that stretch.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 16: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres reacts with Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on June 16, 2025… LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 16: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres reacts with Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on June 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) How/Getty Images
So as the two teams get set to face each other this weekend, even the Padres aren’t sure how we got here.
Third baseman Manny Machado looked back on the nine-game deficit, in the middle of a cold streak for his team, and admitted the Padres weren’t even thinking about trying to take back first place at the time.
“We weren’t really looking up at that point,” Machado told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “We were just trying to get back in the win column.”
A lot of folks deserve credit for the Padres’ turnaround, but Machado made sure to credit the team’s additions from the trade deadline: lineup additions Ryan O’Hearn, Freddy Fermin and Ramon Laureano, and pitchers Mason Miller and Nestor Cortes.
“They’ve won us some games,” said Machado, who, ironically enough, was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline in 2018, per Cassavell. “Our lineup is a lot different now, and obviously the bullpen has been coming up and doing their job.
“I’ve been in their shoes before. It’s tough to make that adjustment — the change of scenery, learning new names, new faces, new league, different division. It’s all tough. It takes you a little bit of time to get acclimated to your new surroundings. To see them adjusting how they are, (they’re) fitting perfectly in.”
Everything is clicking for the Padres right now, but they know firsthand that the Dodgers are never to be discounted. It’s going to be a slugfest for a division title, and however it shakes out, the postseason will ultimately settle the score.
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