LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Dodgers have the opportunity to assure themselves of their third consecutive National League West title and 11th in the past 12 seasons when they face the San Diego Padres Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium in their final home game of the 2024 regular season.
The Dodgers lowered their magic number to two — meaning any combination of Dodger victories and Padres losses equaling two would assure the team of the division title — with Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over San Diego at Dodger Stadium with Shohei Ohtani singling in Will Smith with two outs in the bottom of the sixth with the tie-breaking run.
The Dodgers (94-64) have a three-game lead over the Padres (91-67). Both teams have four games remaining.
The website Baseball Prospectus gives the Dodgers a 92% chance of winning the division and San Diego an 8% chance based on its proprietary system that projects player and team performance.
Both teams have assured themselves of postseason berths.
The Dodgers have led the division each day since April 1 when an 8-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants improved their record to 5-2.
Walker Buehler will make his seventh start for the Dodgers since returning from a rehabilitation assignment to their Triple-A Oklahoma City affiliate. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA since returning to the Dodgers. He is 1-6 with a 5.63 ERA for the season.
The Dodgers are 8-7 in Buehler’s 15 starts. Buehler is 6-1 with a 1.80 ERA lifetime against the Padres. The loss came in his lone appearance against San Diego this season, when he allowed three runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss May 12.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove will pitch for the Padres. He is 6-5 with a 3.95 ERA. San Diego is 11-7 in Musgrove’s 18 starts. Musgrove has had two stints on the injured list this season because of right elbow inflammation, missing 74 games.
Ohtani is 1-for-8 with one RBI against Musgrove .
The Dodgers are 4-8 against the Padres in 2024, including a 2-3 record at Dodger Stadium. The teams also split two games in Seoul, South Korea to start the season.
Wednesday’s loss snapped San Diego’s five-game winning streak and run of nine victories in 10 games. Its 41-18 record since the All-Star break is the best in Major League Baseball. The Dodgers’ 38-23 record since the All-Star break is third-best behind the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks (39-23).
The 7:10 p.m. game will be televised by SportsNet LA.
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