Wings vs Lynx is the wrong label for this one, but the opener matters just the same: the Los Angeles Dodgers announced Roki Sasaki will start against the San Diego Padres, with Walker Buehler on the other side. The game pairs a club that leads the National League West by nine games with a chasing team coming off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves.
Roki Sasaki gets the ball
Sasaki will open the series for the Dodgers after taking a step forward in workload and results. He has a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts, and Dave Roberts has shown increased trust in him as he has gone deeper into games.
The matchup gives Los Angeles a familiar script. Earlier in the 2025 season, the Dodgers took two of three games from the Padres, and they went 9-4 against them overall. Those numbers matter because the teams enter this series at 52-29 and 42-37, a gap that leaves the Padres trying to cut into the division race before it gets away from them.
Walker Buehler faces old club
Buehler starts the opener for the Padres with a sharp run behind him. Over his last five outings, he has a 2.05 ERA and 24 strikeouts, a stretch that gives San Diego a different kind of opening look than it had earlier in the year.
The former Dodgers star also adds another layer to a series already carrying edge. Los Angeles is coming off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, while San Diego arrives after sweeping the Atlanta Braves, so both teams bring recent momentum into the same series opener even though the standings still favor the Dodgers by a wide margin.
The rotation decision sets the tone immediately. Sasaki is trying to hold his place in a staff built around a nine-game cushion, and Buehler is trying to extend a strong run against the team that once had him and now has to handle him from the other side.
The Dodgers and Padres gap
The numbers frame the stakes cleanly. The Dodgers have already handled the Padres well this season, but San Diego’s recent sweep and Buehler’s recent form give the opener more bite than a routine division game. That is the practical edge for readers watching this matchup: one club is protecting a lead, the other is trying to make the next few head-to-head games count.
