Padres hold sneaky edge in NLDS Game 5 Yu Darvish-Yoshinobu Yamamato matchup

The San Diego Padres failed to close the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 4 of the National League Division Series, but they'll get another crack at slaying the giant on Friday night. The Padres and Dodgers meet for a decisive Game 5 that will propel the winner to an NLCS matchup against the New York Mets.

The Friars will turn to their veteran starter Yu Darvish, while LA will send rookie hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the hill. According to ESPN, this will mark the first matchup of Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history.

NLCS Game 5 Yu Darvish-Yoshinobu Yamamato matchup favors Padres

Darvish has already handled the Dodgers once this postseason. Game 2 was a dominant performance from the right-hander, as Darvish went seven innings of one-run ball and allowed LA to rack up only three hits. If the Padres' starter can produce similar results in Game 5 and hand the reins over to Jason Adam, Robert Suarez, and Tanner Scott, the Friar faithful will feel pretty good about their chances to advance to the next round.

There's also the early-game struggles of Yamamoto to consider. The Dodgers' pitcher has a history of laying an egg during the first few innings. According to the Los Angeles Times, Yamamoto's ERA in innings 1-3 is 4.76. But after that, the right-hander enjoys a sub-1.00 from the 4th inning on. If the Padres are going to get to Yamamoto, they need to do it early.

Padres can expect to see Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman in Game 5 of the NLDS

Freddie Freeman was out of the Dodgers starting lineup on Wednesday night. The first baseman has been dealing with an ankle injury, and was unable to be part of LA's 8-0 victory during Game 2. But the Padres will not be that lucky on Friday night.

Freeman is expected to be in the Dodgers' lineup for Game 5. How effective Freeman can be is anyone's guess, but the former NL MVP is one of the best players in the game. Even at 75%, Freeman is probably better than anyone else LA might attempt to run out there.

Mike Shildt channelling the mentality NFL Hall of Famer Vince Lombardi ahead of Game 5 of the NLDS vs. Dodgers

While we now know that Yamamoto will be the Dodgers' starter, Los Angeles' manager Dave Roberts played it close to the vest for quite some time. Padres manager Mike Shildt, on the other hand, has been as straight forward as possible.

Shildt compared the Padres' mentality to that of a legendary Green Bay Packers coach, saying, "We're more like Vince Lombardi; power sweep, 'here it is.'" In other words, we're lining up with 12 personnel, running right at you, and we dare you to stop it.

Everybody throughout Major League Baseball knows who the Padres are. More importantly, they know who they are. San Diego is laying all their chips on the table and daring LA to stop them. We'll see who blinks first when the Padres and Dodgers clash during Game 5 tonight.

More San Diego Padres News and Rumors