Welcome to playoff baseball in May.The San Diego Padres (28-18) are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers (29-18) for three games at Petco Park that could very well have major postseason implications later in the year.This is the first of four series between the teams this year, as the Padres look to finally knock the Dodgers off their perch atop the National League West. The teams play three more games at Petco Park in June. Then, they play four games at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in July and three more in September.Both clubs enter this series red-hot, as the Padres swept the Seattle Mariners and the Dodgers swept the Los Angeles Angels.The Padres have won six of their last eight games, while the Dodgers have won five in a row after dropping four straight before that.Last year, the Dodgers went 9-4 against the Padres. Those games ended up being crucial as Los Angeles won the division over San Diego by just three games.“It’s always exciting to play the Dodgers,” manager Craig Stammen said after Sunday's win over the Mariners. “They’re a great team. They’ve won the World Series the last two years. It’s always fun going up against the best."We’ll see where we’re at.”Padres vs Dodgers Pitching MatchupsMonday, May 18Right-handed pitcher Michael King is facing off against right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a battle of aces.King has a 2.63 ERA across 51.1 innings this year. Yamamoto counters with a 3.60 ERA over 50 innings of work.Tuesday, May 19Right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning makes his fourth start of the year for the Padres against right-hander Emmet Sheehan.Canning has struggled mightily (while also having terrible luck), sporting a 10.64 ERA over 11 innings. For what it's worth, his expected ERA is just 4.39.As for Sheehan, he's had an up-and-down season, carrying a 4.54 ERA across 41.2 innings.Wednesday, May 20Right-handed pitcher Randy Vásquez will look to continue his dominant season against right-hander Shohei Ohtani, who's been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.Vásquez is 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA over 50.1 innings of work. Ohtani has allowed four earned runs over 44 innings for a 0.82 ERA. It remains to be seen if he also hits in the game (he's been out of the lineup his last three pitching starts).Bold Predictions for Padres vs DodgersIt's finally going to happen.Fernando Tatis Jr., who's currently gone 193 plate appearances without a home run to open the season, is going to go yard this series. Tatis loves the big moments, and there are few bigger moments in May than a matchup with the back-to-back champs.Additionally, Manny Machado, who's mired in a brutal slump of his own, is going to get himself going with two multi-hit games this series.As for the Dodgers, Kyle Tucker will have his best series as a Dodger, hitting multiple home runs as he makes his presence known in this NL West rivalry.And finally, when it's all said and done, it will be the Padres in first place in the NL West after taking two of three games in the series.How to Watch Padres vs Dodgers May 18-20First pitch for Monday's series opener is 6:40 p.m. PT/9:40 p.m. ET.First pitch for Tuesday's game is also 6:40 p.m. PT/9:40 p.m. ET.First pitch for Wednesday's series finale is one hour earlier at 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m. ET.All three games will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app.The games will also be available via cable on the following channels:Cox (Channel 83)DirecTV (Channel 694-3)AT&T Uverse (Channel 781 or 1781)Spectrum (Channel 305 or 443)Games will be broadcast on the radio on 97.3 The Fan (in English) and XEMO 860 (in Spanish).Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow