While L.A.'s championship-winning lineup remains mostly intact, the Dodgers completely revamped their starting rotation in 2025. Gone were James Paxton, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, and in their stead came former Cy Young winner Blake Snell, Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki and the return of future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw.

At the outset of play July 4, the San Diego Padres were coming off a 2-4 trip through Cincinnati and Philadelphia and trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by nine games in the NL West