There is nothing better than October baseball. The weather is cool and crisp, the atmospheres at the ballparks are electric, and the vibes are immaculate. nothing beats this time of the year. If you missed up until this point, that’s okay. However, you will NOT want to miss this upcoming series.

Get the popcorn ready and gear up for what is appointment television. You can make a strong case that this is one of the biggest rivalries right now in the game of baseball. There is nothing better than seeing the two juggernauts of California go head to head. The NLDS matchup between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers is the greatest gift to the game of baseball and fans around the world.

San Diego wants LA 👀 pic.twitter.com/EO8XMSXt5A

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2024

There is no love lost between these two teams. Padres fans already went into a frenzy, chanting “Beat LA” immediately after defeating the Braves in the wild card series.

This series will have everything. The games brightest and biggest stars are in this series and it’ll be amazing to see this talent on full display. The hope is that it goes the distance for the five games. Petco Park was the most electric atmosphere so far and Dodger Stadium will be right behind them. Who has the edge in this crucial series? Let’s take a look!

Diving Deep into the Series Outlook

High Caliber Bats

There is no shortage of firepower from either lineup going into this series. For the Dodgers, they boast arguably the best top of the lineup in baseball. As a pitcher, it is tough to strategize how to pitch around it depending on the situation. The Angels learned that the hard way, walking Shohei Ohtani and choosing to pitch to Mookie Betts. You’re toast either way. Add in Freddie Freeman, catcher Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernandez and the firepower is on full display. The bottom of the order came into its own as the season went on, but this top unit is the one to count on. Ohtani went on to have a season for the ages, finishing top five in every offensive category and is a machine at causing chaos on the base paths. Betts is an MVP level bat and so is Freeman.

The Dodgers offense finished with the second most runs this season (842) and had a slash line of .258/.335/.446/.781 and had the best wRC+ (118). It’s a high octane offense, but the Padres are not far behind.

The Padres came into their own in the second half of the season and turned on the jets. Not to say they were bad, but they were dealing with injuries at numerous positions. They were the hottest team in the second half and propelled themselves into the playoffs.

When you have Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, Luis Arraez, Jurickson Profar, Xander Bogaerts, and Jake Cronnenworth, the lineup is deep. Collectively, the offense scored the eighth most runs and had a slash line of .263/.324/.420/.724. Comparing to the Dodgers, they finished with 111 wRC+. It’s going to be tight. But the Padres also have a rookie sensation that could be a major x-factor.

Jackson Merrill played in all but six games for the Padres. He made the roster out of spring training and never looked back. In fact, he’s a rookie of the year candidate. Merrill finished the year with a slash line of .292/.326/.500/.826. Those numbers are top of the Padres lineup. Between his offense and defense, he’s a weapon for this group.

The Padres struck out the fewest during regular season, but did ground out into double plays quite a bit. The Dodgers lineup can hit and hit for power. That top of the order is lethal, giving the Dodgers the slight edge offensively.

Dominance on the Mound

When you look at some of the best pitchers to be on the bump this season, both teams have a plethora of high caliber talent when it comes to pitching. Each player that takes the baseball that given day gives his team the best chance to win. Talk about a heavy weight tilt, the first two games showcase the two best pitchers that each team has to offer. Here are the probable pitchers listed for the first two games in Los Angeles for this series.

Game 1: Dylan Cease vs Jack Flaherty

Game 2: Yu Darvish vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto

#Padres–#Dodgers probables for Games 1 and 2 in LA:

RHP Dylan Cease vs. RHP Jack Flaherty
RHP Yu Darvish vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) October 3, 2024

Game 1 will feature two of the best pitchers that the game had to offer this season. Cease showed why he was a great acquisition by the Padres over the winter and became a focal point of the Padres rotation. He finished 21st among qualified pitchers with a 3.47 ERA. Rarely did he give up the deep ball, averaging 0.86 HR/9. Cease is a high strikeout guy, averaging 10.65 K/9 and finished in the 92nd percentile in whiff rate. He relies heavily on the fastball and the slider, striking out 141 with the slider. Hitters only have a .159 batting average against the slider.

Flaherty is no slouch. He was phenomenal with the Tigers and carried over that elite play to the Dodgers. Flaherty finished with a 3.17 ERA. This was the best statistical season for him over the last three seasons. Like Cease, he’s a high strikeout guy, averaging 10.78 K/9. He showed good command too, limiting his walks. Flaherty relies on the fastball, but mixes in the knuckle curve and the slider quite a bit. This has the makings of a low scoring game given the quality of the pitching.

The second game is going to be a great viewing experience. The veteran in Yu Darvish taking on the highest paid pitcher in baseball history in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Both players spent time away from the teams due to injury. Darvish finished the season with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He does a good job limiting his walks and can get batters to chase. He’s a veteran and has an arsenal of pitches to work with. Yamamoto finished with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He is a high strikeout pitcher and shows good command. Yamamoto will get batters to chase, which is great especially against this lineup. This will be a tremendous viewing experience.

These rotations also feature guys like Walker Buehler and Michael King. King dominated his first postseason outing which was amazing to see.

The edge in pitching goes to the Padres, especially with their bullpen. With no Tyler Glasnow or Gavin Stone, the Dodgers rotation isn’t nearly as sexy as it could’ve been.

The Best Series of the Postseason

The World Series is the top of the baseball mountain for a postseason series, but this series between the Dodgers and Padres is going to be the best this postseason. This series has the star power on both teams and is going to be an ultra competitive series. Get the popcorn ready. Because it’s going to be a thrilling ride.