Red-hot Dodgers try for sweep of Padres
SAN DIEGO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to continue their mastery of the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon when they go for a three-game series sweep.
The Dodgers are 7-1 against the Padres this season and 32-14 since the start of 2015 -- the third-best record by one team against another in the majors. San Diego has not won a season series from Los Angeles since going 10-9 in 2010.
But Sunday's matchup could favor the Padres, particularly since the game is being played at Petco Park.
Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin will be starting for the Padres. Chacin is 4-2 at Petco Park this season with a 1.83 ERA, the second-lowest home ERA in the National League. Overall, Chacin is 6-7 with a 4.76 ERA.
"The numbers at home are what they are," San Diego manager Andy Green said recently. "I'm still not certain what they mean. But I like them. So we're hoping they continue."
Chacin's numbers against Los Angeles parallel the rest of his season. He started the season opener at Dodger Stadium on April 1 and gave up nine runs on eight hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings -- his shortest outing of the season.
He met Los Angeles a second time on May 5 at Petco Park and allowed a run on four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
But this game is at Petco Park, where the Padres are 21-21. And the Dodgers are only 21-17 on the road, so there is a chance.
Los Angeles counters with right-hander Kenta Maeda (6-3, 4.15 ERA), who is 2-2 with a 5.46 ERA in six starts away from Dodger Stadium.
Maeda is coming off one of his better starts of the season. Last Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, he held the Angels to four hits over seven scoreless innings to pick up the win in Los Angeles' 4-0 victory. He didn't issue a walk while striking out six.
"I think there's definitely a sense of urgency overall," Maeda said through an interpreter. "I didn't start off the year on a good note. Regardless of if I'm in the bullpen or starting, there's definitely a sense of urgency that I feel to produce results."
Maeda did not figure in the decision in his previous start against the Padres this season. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits over five innings in Los Angeles' 8-2 victory at Petco Park. He also issued three walks with eight strikeouts while throwing 87 pitches.
Maeda is 2-2 with a 3.38 career ERA in six starts against San Diego.
The Dodgers enter the series finale with a major league-best plus-155 run differential, with a big chunk of that because of their dominance of the Padres. In eight games, Los Angeles has outscored San Diego 63-18, including 18-4 the past two nights.
None of the Dodgers seven wins over the Padres have been closer than two runs. Los Angeles has scored in double digits in four of their wins and have won by six or more runs six times.
