The San Diego Padres have moved into first place in the National League West after a 1-0 victory on Monday. They now hold a half-game advantage over the Los Angeles Dodgers with records of 29-18 and 29-19 respectively. The clubs continue their series with games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Padres have built their success this season through strong performances in close contests. They stand at 7-4 in one-run games and 2-0 in extra innings while posting a modest run differential of plus eight overall. In contrast the Dodgers have dominated blowouts with a 14-4 record in games decided by five runs or more and boast the league's best run differential at plus 93.