Most-heated rivalry in baseball, Dodgers-Padres showdown is Good for Southern California

SAN DIEGO –– The Padres, it has felt in recent years, always just seem to be there.Lurking in the standings.Looming the playoffs.

Lingering on the heels of a Dodgers dynasty that –– in at least some subtle ways –– has been aided by their rival’s ever-present push.There is no mistaking the success of the two Southern California franchises, of course.And there has certainly been no love lost in what has become baseball’s most heated rivalry of late.But having the Padres as a foil, as an annoying antithesis and competitive intradivision counterpart, has nonetheless been a good thing for the Dodgers during their historic ascent over the last half-decade.“When you have a team like that … trying to take us down, it’s not pressure, because we’re not gonna feel pressure just because of that, but we do have to feel like we gotta keep our foot on the gas pedal,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said.“It’s definitely a good thing that we have a team in the same division, that is not letting us get our guard down.”Early on this season, that familiar dynamic is playing out again.Ahead of their first meeting of the year at Petco Park on Monday night, the Padres trailed the Dodgers by just a half-game in the National League West.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Granted, no one is paying much attention to the standings at this point.

And before this week’s series opener, the Dodgers downplayed the significance of what remains little more than a mid-May divisional matchup.“It’s always an eventful series coming down here and playing these guys,” manager Dave Roberts said.“But I certainly wouldn’t consider it a measuring stick.”Then again, it’s impossible to ignore what is shaping up to be another intriguing NL West battle...