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The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to secure a series win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Petco Park. The Dodgers took Tuesday's series opener by a score of 7-0, relying on a strong bullpen effort.
With that victory, the Dodgers' magic number to clinch a first-round bye is now just one. A Dodgers win or an Atlanta Braves loss would guarantee Los Angeles a top-two seed in the National League playoffs.
"I feel like we've just been playing really good baseball as a group lately," first baseman Freddie Freeman said on Tuesday. "We had to step up when guys went down, and that's a credit to the guys that have been going, but you want to be playing well going into the playoffs. We need, what, one more win for that bye? So, that's what we need. We need that, get some rest, then have a great week of practice going into the playoffs. But guys are swinging the bats at the right time, hopefully we can carry that."
In a significant roster move, the Dodgers activated designated hitter Shohei Ohtani from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. To make room for Ohtani, top prospect Josue De Paula was optioned to Triple-A. Ohtani is back in the lineup for Wednesday's game.
Pitching Matchup: Yamamoto vs. Ray
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound for the Dodgers in his final start of the regular season. Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, has compiled a 14-8 record with a 2.51 ERA over 179 innings this year. He has faced the Padres three times in 2025 and has been dominant. On May 18, he allowed one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts. On June 27, he gave up two runs over six innings with four strikeouts. In his next start on July 4, he tossed seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts.
Opposing Yamamoto will be veteran left-hander Robbie Ray, who was acquired by the Padres before the trade deadline but has struggled since joining San Diego. In 39.2 innings with the Padres, Ray has posted a 5.22 ERA. With the San Francisco Giants earlier this season, he had a 3.08 ERA over 122.2 innings. Ray faced the Dodgers on May 13 as a member of the Giants, allowing three earned runs (four total) over 4.2 innings with two strikeouts.
Dodgers Lineup and Manager's Strategy
The Dodgers' starting lineup for Wednesday's game is as follows: Mookie Betts, SS; Shohei Ohtani, DH; Will Smith, C; Freddie Freeman, 1B; Teoscar Hernandez, LF; Kyle Tucker, RF; Andy Pages, CF; Max Muncy, 3B; Tommy Edman, 2B. Betts is leading off, with Ohtani batting second against the left-handed Ray.
Manager Dave Roberts hinted that he might adjust the lineup based on the opposing pitcher's handedness moving forward. "Certainly versus right-handed pitching [Ohtani] will be [leading off]," Roberts said on Tuesday. "I do think I should think through the Mookie versus left situation, but I have to think about the entire lineup structure." For Wednesday's game, Roberts is going with Betts leading off against a lefty.
How to Watch
First pitch for the Dodgers vs. Padres game on Wednesday, Sept. 23 is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT / 10:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and available in the MLB app. Radio coverage will be on AM570 (English) and KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish).
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Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he has extensively covered Southern California sports. Noah is the publisher of Dodgers on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years. Follow him on X/Twitter: @noahcamras.