Dodgers Manager Shocked to Lose First Place to Padres at This Point in Season

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) yells at San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt (8) after benches cleared in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 19. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Padres surrendered sole possession of first place in the National League West to the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 26.

Thursday, they got it back. Their current winning streak — which extended to five games Wednesday in San Francisco — combined with the Dodgers' four-game losing streak put the Padres a game ahead in the NL West race.

Count Dodgers manager Dave Roberts among those who did not expect the role reversal.

“Where we’re at, we put ourselves in this spot,” Roberts told reporters Wednesday in Anaheim, where the Dodgers were swept in a three-game series by the Angels. “But, no, I wouldn’t have expected us to be in second place right now.”

Friday, the Padres and Dodgers will renew their rivalry with the first of three games at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers (68-53) have won five of seven head-to-head games against the Padres (69-52) this season. A sweep would even the regular-season record between the two teams, and strengthen the Padres' chokehold on the division.

The Padres' last division title came in 2006. Considering how long ago that was, Roberts might be forgiven for assuming the team with the largest payroll allocation in baseball this year ($341 million, per Spotrac) would still be in first place in August. Ironically, the Padres' starting left fielder the last time they won the NL West was Roberts himself.

Still, the Padres and Dodgers are two teams clearly headed in opposite directions. Since July 31, the day of the trade deadline, the Padres are 9-3, the second-best record in the National League. The Dodgers are 5-7.

The disparity goes back even farther. On July 3, the Dodgers led the division by nine games over the Padres and San Francisco Giants. Since then, San Diego is 23-12, while Los Angeles is 12-21.

The trade deadline still could be a useful demarcation point in the two teams' seasons. While the Dodgers made additions around the edges of their roster — adding reserve outfielder Alex Call and relief pitcher Brock Stewart, who's on their injured list — the Padres used arguably their largest trade chip (minor league shortstop Leo de Vries) to go all-in.

Besides adding All-Star closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears from the Athletics, the Padres also obtained Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles. They also got pitcher Nestor Cortes from the Milwaukee Brewers and catcher Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals. Fermin has been arguably the best hitter on the team since.

You can't accuse Roberts of paying too much attention to the Padres to this point in the month. Soon enough, they will have his full focus.

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