Oct 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez (4) reacts after an out against Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) in the fourth inning during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers and Padres Square off in NLDS Game 3

Not much compares to October playoff baseball. Every game has meaning. Teams that won 80 games can ruin the season of teams that won nearly 20 games more than them *cough 2022 Padres cough*. Padres vs

Tonight, the Padres will look to go ahead in their series against the Dodgers. The two teams each won a game in this series, with L.A. taking Game 1 7-5 and San Diego bouncing back to the tune of 10-2.

The Skinny on LA Padres vs Dodgers

The Dodgers have turned themselves into a villain with a payroll of $250 million. L.A. made a massive splash this offseason by signing two-way Shohei Ohtani from their in-city rival the Los Angeles Angels.

Since the acquisition, Ohtani has 54 homers and 130 RBIs to go along with a .310 batting average. He also founded the 50-50 club this season after hitting 50 homers and stealing 50 bases in the same year. Ohtani got to 50-50 in his 150th game of the season, hitting three homers to reach 51 and stealing two bags, his 50th and 51st of the year. The two-way star also boasts the third-best WAR in the MLB, with a value of 9.2.

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The Skinny on San Diego Padres vs Dodgers

The Padres organization is much different than the Dodgers, sitting middle of the pack in payroll at $171 million. The Padres don’t have a roster full of super stars. Outside of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Dylan Cease and Joe Musgrove most of their roster is pretty average.

San Diego got hot at the right time, winning 34 of their 18 matchups in August and September to secure a spot in the NL wildcard. The Padres then demolished a banged up Braves team winning both games by a combined score of 9-4.

The red-hot Padres will now have to face a familiar foe in L.A. who they have an 8-5 record against this season.

Game 3

Game 3 of the best-of-five series is Tuesday at 9:08 p.m. EST at Petco Park and will air on FS1. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM 850 AM WRUF at 8:30 p.m. EST.

About Alexander Vafeas

Alexander Vafeas is a third-year Sports Journalism student at the University of Florida who currently serves as one of WRUF's NFL beat writers.

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