Last year, the Giants finished fourth in the NL West, way out of contention. This season, they are only a game behind L.A. and relevant again in the fight for the top spot

A long-simmering National League West rivalry is renewed Friday night in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants open a three-game series with the top spot in the division on the line.

Dodgers’ Will Smith Dismisses Padres Rivalry With Blunt Comment originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Eight months after squaring off in the 2024 NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres finally met again.

So, that's a good start to my career with this rivalry ... they sit in second place in the NL West, one game behind the Dodgers and one game ahead of the Padres. And you can't forget ...

Still, on Monday, the Padres came within a close call or two of moving into a virtual tie atop the NL West. The Dodgers remain the class of the division and, until proven otherwise, the entire league. And for now, the team that nearly ousted them last October doesn’t appear to be going away.

The Dodgers and Padres have shared a division -- and Southern California proximity -- for more than five decades. For most of that time, it's been hard to call this a "rivalry" (whatever that word means,

Andy Pages and Tommy Edman each drive in runs to lift the Dodgers to an 8-7 win over the Padres in the first meeting of the season in the fast-growing rivalry.