LA reporter clearly worried that Padres could run Dodgers off the field in NLDS

Make no mistake about it, the San Diego Padres' upcoming playoff series against the Dodgers is going to be extremely tight barring the unforeseen. It is absolutely true that this LA team isn't as dominant on paper as they usually are, especially if Freddie Freeman is limited by injury. The Padres have played well against the Dodgers this year, but they are absolutely a tough matchup more than capable of ending San Diego's season early.

However, the Padres present a number of challenges for LA. In addition to the Padres just being an incredibly deep team that does not shrink in big moments, the sheer amount of star power on the Padres' roster (even if Joe Musgrove doesn't pitch an inning in the NLDS) means that they're capable of winning on any given night even if some key players are held in check.

Count LA Times sportswriter and Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris among those who are genuinely wary of the Padres in the upcoming NLDS, as his list of concerns ahead of the series is quite extensive.

Dodgers beat writer provides lengthy list of reasons why Padres could bounce LA in NLDS

We don't want to bag on Harris too much here as he generally does a great job covering the Dodgers beat, and basically every major outlet does some version of this sort of preview-ish content ahead of playoff series. However, the amount of concerns he expressed regarding the obstacles the Padres pose for the Dodgers was pretty telling.

Harris basically listed the Padres' entire roster when explaining his thinking which, if he is right, seems to suggest San Diego could sweep the Dodgers if LA isn't careful. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Luis Arráez as well as the Padres' entire rotation and most of their bullpen got specific love in his piece. He did correctly note that Padres closer Robert Suarez looks vulnerable right now, but the rest reads as a glowing recommendation of the Padres as a whole.

Will the NLDS play out that way? That remains to be seen. The Padres are a special baseball team and no one should be surprised if they perform well against LA. However, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts are generational talents that can win games by themselves even if Freeman is out. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is immensely talented and Jack Flaherty is having a nice bounce-back season in 2024 after a rough past few years. This series should be very hard-fought despite the growing list of reasons favoring the Padres.

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