On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers won 5-2 to take honors in the first series of the 2025 MLB season between them and their divisional rivals, the San Diego Padres. Now 41-28 on the season, the Dodgers have a one-game lead in the NL West.
With two out of the first three games in a grueling 10-game stretch against the Padres and San Francisco Giants in the bag, they return home, with the next seven games scheduled to be played at Dodger Stadium. But while their travel eases, the pressure remains the same. The real test is just beginning, and no one understands that better than Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Dave Roberts on Dodgers’ 10-game June Gauntlet Against Padres and Giants
“I think knowing we’re going to be facing some really good opponents, playing some pretty good baseball, try to win as many as we can,” Roberts had said on Monday. “I think the goal is certainly to come out of this in first place.”
After Wednesday’s series victory at Petco Park, the Dodgers now hold a two-game lead over the Padres and a one-game advantage over the Giants in the NL West. Roberts lauded the team’s efforts to bounce back after a 11-1 blowout loss in the second game on Tuesday night.
“It was good,” Doc said after Wednesday’s game. “It wasn’t a surprise to me, the resilience. After having clunked last night, to come back and be prepared out of the ‘pen, and guys performed to find a way to win a series. That was our goal coming into this ballpark, and we did that. So not surprising. We do a good job of turning the page.”
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Teoscar Hernández, who scored the decisive three-run homer on Wednesday, reiterated his manager’s praise for the Ben Casparius-led bullpen. “I always say, us without the bullpen, I don’t think we’re gonna be in the place that we are right now,” Hernández told Dodgers reporter Kirsten Watson. “Every day we just need to put everything together and just play good baseball.”
“Feels great, it’s been a really, really tough last 3 weeks for me.”
Teoscar Hernández (1-5, HR (11), 3 RBI) speaks to @kirsten_watson after the Dodgers take the series from San Diego, beating the Padres 5-2. #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/J55h6aJrzz
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 11, 2025
After a day’s break, the Dodgers will take on the Giants over the weekend, starting on Friday. They will then face the Padres and the Washington Nationals, marking a stretch of 10 games in 10 days.