The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will be back on the field with the opportunity to take sole possession of the NL West Division lead.

The Padres just keep winning and surging up the standings. The San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 11-1 Wednesday afternoon. With the win, the Padres moved a game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

Dodgers capitalize on Padres’ sloppiness to retake sole possession of first place - Sports | Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Six weeks ago, the Padres were reeling. They returned to San Diego having dropped both series on a road trip through Cincinnati and Philadelphia. On the ensuing off-day, the Dodgers beat the White Sox to move nine games clear in the National League West.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been on quite a skid, and they're at risk of losing the National League West to the rival San Diego Padres.

Kershaw outpitched injured Padres starter Michael King’s replacement, Randy Vásquez, the bulk-innings pitcher. Vásquez went 3 2/3 innings and allowed two runs. He came in after reliever Wandy Peralta got four outs to open the game.

The Padres took sole possession of first place in the NL West on Wednesday, though it may be for just a few hours.

The first of two straight weekends of National League West showdowns concludes on Sunday with the Dodgers closing out their home series against the Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. These two teams will meet again next weekend in three games at Petco Park in San Diego.