Dodgers Predicted to Lose NL West to Padres

Jun 19, 2025; San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt (8) talks with Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) as play is about to resume after benches cleared in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are competing for first in the division as the two NL West teams clash over the weekend.

More news: Dodgers' Dave Roberts Would Still Take LA's Roster Over Any Other Team in MLB

ESPN insider Tim Kurkjian believes, for the first time since 2021, the Dodgers will be dethroned in the division.

"I think the Dodgers are going to be the best team in baseball when October rolls around, but I'm picking the Padres to win the division," Kurkjian said. "The back end of that bullpen is exactly what A.J. Preller expected it to be. They're better off as a team than they've been in awhile. They're not afraid of the Dodgers, they're not intimidated when they play them."

More news: Dodgers' Dave Roberts Would Still Take LA's Roster Over Any Other Team in MLB

"I think the Dodgers are going to be the best team in baseball when October rolls around, but I'm picking the Padres to win the division."@Kurkjian_ESPN and @Buster_ESPN talked about the NL West in the latest Baseball Tonight episode.@ESPNLosAngeles pic.twitter.com/Kd5P412iXK

— ESPN Podcasts (@espnpodcasts) August 14, 2025

The Dodgers enter Friday's game against the Padres on a four-game losing streak, including a three-game sweep against the Los Angeles Angels. Meanwhile, San Diego is one of the hottest teams in baseball and have won their last five games.

The Dodgers lead the season series having won five of seven against the Padres in 2025; however, the defending champions have lost their commanding lead in the NL West and currently sit one game behind the first place Friars.

It's the first time since 2021 that the Dodgers do not have the lead in division this late in the season. In 2021, the San Francisco Giants won the NL West, but for most of the decade, it's the Dodgers who have controlled the division.

Dodgers veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw explained why he isn't phased by the Padres or the rivalry brewing between them and the Dodgers in recent years.

“I don’t feel any one way about them," Kershaw said to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. "I just want to win the division."

“I think every team goes through ebbs and flows when they’re good or not. In the whole time I’ve been here, it’s gone from the Giants to the Rockies to the Diamondbacks to the Padres to the Giants again. So … I think the one constant is we’re always in it. It’s just kind of the next-best team changes. Right now, it’s them.”

The Dodgers have yet to play their best baseball, and a matchup with the Padres could help propel LA to finally hit its stride.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.