The Padres did the opposite of what they did last year in the postseason: They overcame the Cubs.
Now they have a date with the Brewers on the horizon, but even then, they still have bigger fish to fry.
Harold Reynolds, a former Mariners star and baseball analyst, appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday and said the biggest National League threat isn’t the Padres — it’s the Dodgers.
“They’re really dangerous. The problem is, they gotta face the Dodgers,” Reynolds said of San Diego. “I don’t think people realize how good the Dodgers are. They won a hundred games and it’s ‘Oh, bad year.’ They lived through and now they’re healthy, and they’ve got pitching and depth.”
Reynolds said the Dodgers are “loaded” and said he believes they will win the World Series. He compared the Dodgers-Padres rivalry to Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.
“Karl Malone was great. But he didn’t win because Jordan won MVPs. That’s kind of what we’re seeing right now,” Reynolds said.
Since 2020, the Dodgers and Padres have blossomed into one of MLB’s best rivalries, especially during the postseason.
Before Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Cubs, new Padres owner Jose E. Feliciano took a jab at the Dodgers by saying, “The owner of the Dodgers owns a lot of dinosaurs.”
The Dodgers have had the edge over the Padres, going 7-5 against them in the playoffs over the last six years.
The Padres have taken one playoff series against the Dodgers, during the 2022 season, but failed to capitalize on it as they ended up losing in five games against the Phillies in the NLCS.
The Dodgers have been the polar opposite, eliminating the Padres from the 2020 NLDS and going on to win the World Series.
In 2024, the teams met again in the NLDS. Los Angeles got the last laugh, overcoming a 2-1 deficit, forcing a fifth game and winning the series.
Since then, LA has won back-to-back World Series, while San Diego has struggled to find its footing.
The Padres were impressive in Tuesday and Wednesday night’s games, but they still have a long road to go to win their first World Series in franchise history.
If the two meet in the postseason this year, it would be during the NLCS.
