Dodgers have golden opportunity to prove former GM's Padres prediction wrong

The Los Angeles Dodgers have struggled to a 12–21 record since July 4, and they are now down a game on the San Diego Padres for first place in the National League West division.

The Dodgers have won the NL West in 11 of the last 12 seasons. If they want to do it again in 2025, they’ll certainly need to play better baseball down the stretch.

Former MLB general manager and current analyst Jim Bowden is one of many people who are predicting the Padres to take home the division title.

"A couple of things with the Padres. They made the back end of that bullpen so ridiculously dominant that if they get into the seventh, eighth, and ninth with the Dodgers, and they're going to play them two weekends in a row," Bowden said on Foul Territory this week.

"That bullpen, you've got [Mason] Miller and [Robert] Suarez in those last two innings...ballgame's over. That bullpen is so deep and stoning and it's so much better than the Dodgers and I think that's going to be a huge factor," Bowden continued.

The former GM of the Cincinnati Reds and longtime analyst wasn't buying the hype about the Dodgers getting better as they get healthier.

"I think it's going ot be a fun race between the Padres and the Dodgers. I think it's going to go to the end, but I'm going to pick the Padres because of the bullpen and the depth of the lineup now," he said.

The.Dodgers will play the Padres each of the next two weekends

The Dodgers might have their doubters now, but they’ll have plenty of opportunity in the next few weeks to prove everybody wrong and once again separate themselves as the best team in the division.

Los Angeles will play a three-game series against San Diego at Dodger Stadium this weekend.

Next weekend, from August 22-24, the two clubs will square off again. This time, it will be played in San Diego at Petco Park.

Six of the Dodgers’ next 10 games will be against the Padres. There has never been a better time for a hot streak. The opportunity is there to pull away.

The Padres might be the fun team to back right now, but anyone betting against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bowden included, is likely to eat their words.

As the Dodgers get healthy, they’ll look more and more like the team everyone imagined before the season.