Inside The Padres

Padres Assert Themselves as Dodgers' Biggest Threat in Dominant NL West

Nelson Espinal|
Apr 30, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres players leave the field after the defeating the San Francisco Giants 5-3 at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Apr 30, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres players leave the field after the defeating the San Francisco Giants 5-3 at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

Despite a series of injuries and a recent losing streak, the San Diego Padres offense came alive at the right time as the team was able to sweep the San Francisco Giants in their most recent homestand.

The Giants had two of their best pitchers start for them in the two-game series, with Landen Roupp and Logan Webb both taking the mound.

Despite facing two strong pitchers, the team managed to score at least five runs in both games, a significant achievement for an offense that had been struggling.

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The Friars did not rely on home runs to create offense; instead, they focused on getting hits and putting pressure on the pitchers with constant baserunners.

With consecutive victories, the Padres are now half a game ahead of the Giants and only two games behind the Dodgers.

In a stacked National League West division filled with title contenders, the Padres are challenging for a potential division title and aiming for a deep playoff run.

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The Dodgers were massive favorites to capture the division, with a summer full of major spending and roster continuity, but the Padres have now emerged as the biggest challenge to the Los Angeles team.

When healthy, the Padres are well-rounded and a solid team all around, capable of defeating any team in a series.

There are still many divisional games left, but Padres pitcher Michael King believes the team can get through these tough match-ups.

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“We’re going to have a lot of really good NL West battles throughout the whole season,” King said.

“Those tests, you’ve got to put your big-boy pants on and play these guys. We’re going to get them 11 more times throughout the year.

“Obviously a good start. But you’ve got to make sure you bring it the next 11 against them, and then the 13 against the Dodgers and the 13 against the Diamondbacks.”

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

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Nelson Espinal
NELSON ESPINAL

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. Avidly following of everything ranging from motorsports to Mixed Martial Arts to tennis, he is connected with most of the sports world at all times. His dream of writing about sports started at 16 years of age, writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passions for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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