Dodgers Face Struggling Padres for First Time Since June

The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres met was on June 23, when the Padres had just finished a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at home. The following day, the Dodgers would get no-hit in a combined no-hitter by the Chicago Cubs.

Since that night in June, a lot has changed. The teams almost had identical records, the Dodgers were 44-30 while the Padres were 45=32. It was the first time the Padres swept the Dodgers since 2013.

Since that last meeting, the Dodgers are 34-17, while the Padres are 23-26. The Dodgers hold the second-best record in all of the Majors at 78-47 and are 2 ½ games back of the Giants in the NL West. While the Padres are 68-58 and have fallen out of a…