At 40-27, the Dodgers lead the NL West, but by only 1 ½ games over the San Francisco Giants. It's a one-game lead in the loss column. The Dodgers started the season 8-0, their best start since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, but are 32-27 since. They're 16-16 in their last 32 games. That's not bad, but it is a month-long stretch of mediocre ball.

Despite taking two of three games against the Yankees, the Dodgers continue to show some worrying signs as they continue one of their toughest stretches of the season.

The top of the Padres' lineup is a formidable gauntlet, but rookie right-hander Ben Casparius handled it just fine. He opened the Dodgers' 5-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon by sending the first three batters down in order,

Starting Friday night, the Giants will start a three-game set with the Dodgers, with first place in the National League West on the line. Yes, we’re not even halfway through the baseball season — have you even put in an All-Star ballot yet? — but did anyone expect the Giants to be in such a position last October? What about in January?

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplays the upcoming Padres series amid recent struggles, inconsistent pitching, and a tightening NL West race.

Yamamoto tossed Schmitt a 1-1 splitter; Schmitt sent the offering towards Glendale. Schmitt’s grand slam wasn’t just his second home run of the season, but his second home run since stepping in for Chapman. In four games as San Francisco’s temporary start, Schmitt is 6-for-15 (.400) with the aforementioned two homers and seven RBIs.

The Dodgers vs. Padres series finale is all set to get underway at Petco Park as both teams look to secure a win. The Dodgers are coming off a humiliating loss after surrendering 11 runs and scoring only one in return.

The standings did not reveal it, but over the weekend, the gap between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres was as wide as ever. Last October, the Dodgers flew two planes on the road — one for players;