Things sure have changed since the last time the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers clashed, back in June. The Dodgers were running away in the NL West then with a nine-game lead. The Padres were in third place.

One of the best rivalries in baseball resumes this weekend in Southern California when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres for three games at Dodger Stadium. The NL West remains very much up for grabs with six weeks and one weekend to play in the 2025 regular season.

Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada has flourished by discovering the virtues of the elevated fastball, pairing elite velocity with elite characteristics that make it death on those who dare to swing at an elevated heater. But Hernández was ready for it, taking an elevated fastball for a strike before unleashing on the second one he saw.