Dodgers and Padres to meet in intriguing NL West Division battle

Nick Pivetta (YouTube)

The top two teams in the National League West takes center stage this weekend as the Los Angeles Dodgers face the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The Dodgers are in first place at 73 wins and 55 losses, and the Padres are in second place at 72 wins and 56 losses.

The Dodgers are led offensively by multi-positional phenom Shohei Ohtani of Mizusawa, Japan and catcher Will Smith of Louisville, Kentucky. Ohtani is third in the Major Leagues with 44 home runs, while Smith leads the National League with a .303 batting average. Smith has 101 hits in 333 at bats. There was some concern whether or not Ohtani would be facing thee Padres this weekend. That is because he was hit by a comebacker this past week against the Colorado Rockies and left the game with a thigh contusion. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reported on Thursday that Ohtani was fine and he would be good to go.

The Padres are led by third baseman Manny Machado of Hialeah, Florida and first baseman Luis Arraez of San Felipe, Venezuela. Machado is second in the National League with 145 hits and Arraez is third in the National League with 144 hits.

When it comes to pitching, Canadian Nick Pivetta of Victoria, British Columbia has had a spectacular season with the Padres. He is second in the Major Leagues with 13 wins, and has a career-high 16 quality starts. Pivetta gets the start Sunday for San Diego. Meanwhile, Padres closer Robert Suarez of Bolivar, Venezuela leads the Major Leagues with 33 saves.