MILWAUKEE (AP) — The San Diego Padres are about to face the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time since their memorable NL Division Series matchup.
They believe all the close games they’ve played lately prepared them for this test.
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San Diego Padres' Gavin Sheets throws to first base during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego Padres' Robert Suarez pitches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado (13) is congratulated by Fernando Tatis Jr. after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego’s last seven games have been decided by a total of eight runs, a stretch that continued Sunday when Manny Machado’s seventh-inning homer gave the Padres a 1-0 win and series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
“We know who we’re going to run up against, and we definitely got ready for it this week,” Machado said.
This run of close games actually started earlier than that. Thirteen of San Diego’s last 14 games featured a margin of no more than two runs, and the Padres have gone 9-5 during that stretch.
“These are kind of the games we’ve been playing the last 2½ weeks here now,” infielder Jake Cronenworth said. “They’re just kind of become the norm for us. I think (if) you can win these one-run games and win them late – good pitching, good defense and timely hitting – that’s kind of the recipe for success.”
Now they finally get to measure themselves against the Dodgers in seven of their next 10 games.
The Padres and Dodgers begin a three-game series Monday at San Diego before meeting again in Los Angeles for a four-game set starting June 16. The Padres and San Francisco Giants are a game behind the Dodgers in the NL West standings after all three teams won Sunday.
“It’s crazy that we haven’t faced them,” reliever Jason Adam said. “I’m excited for the series. I’d take this team over any team in baseball, top to bottom. I’d go to battle with them against anybody, so I’m excited for the series. Yeah, that’s our focus. We took care of business here. Now, fly home and take care of business there.”
How unusual is it for these NL West foes to wait this long before facing off? Aside from the pandemic-delayed season of 2020, the last time the Dodgers and Padres didn’t meet until this late in a season was 2000.
“I used to think about the schedule and look at it and then think, ‘Wow, that’s odd,’ “ manager Mike Shildt said. “And then I started taking a holistic picture of the schedule. The schedule’s got to be a nightmare to put together. There’s just going to be quirks in it.”
This has become one of baseball’s top rivalries, thanks in part to their recent postseason showdowns.
San Diego defeated the top-seeded Dodgers 3-1 in the 2022 NL Division Series before losing 4-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series. Last year, the Padres had the Dodgers on the brink of elimination before falling 3-2 in the NL Division Series.
The Padres led that series 2-1 and had a chance to close it out at home, but they fell 8-0 as eight Dodgers pitchers combined on a shutout. The Dodgers then returned home to win 2-0 in Game 5 as Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Yu Darvish.
Darvish hasn’t pitched for San Diego yet this season as the 38-year-old right-hander recovers from inflammation in his throwing elbow, but the Padres still have an outstanding pitching staff. San Diego has allowed a total of 15 runs over its last seven games and has three shutouts in that span. Sunday marked the Padres’ MLB-leading 12th shutout of the season.
The Padres have needed that stellar pitching because their lineup has struggled at times. Machado has gone 12 of 31 this month and has three homers in his last four games, but two-time All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .185 since the start of May.
That combination of impressive pitching and inconsistent hitting is producing plenty of close games, and the Padres are winning most of them. They’re hoping that provides a long-term payoff.
“I think it’s not only a help for (preparing for) the Dodgers,” Adam said. “It’s a help for all the future. It’s a help for the playoffs. Very rarely are you blowing out a team in the playoffs. Of course, we love blowouts when they happen, and we love winning by 20, but the reality is there’s a lot of important games played that are really close. A team that can battle together and win those games is special. That’s what we have here.”
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San Diego Padres' Gavin Sheets throws to first base during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego Padres' Robert Suarez pitches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado (13) is congratulated by Fernando Tatis Jr. after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026--
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511887775/en/
Porter provides comprehensive flight schedules from both Toronto airports, emphasizing its continued investment in Canada’s largest city.
Toronto-City - Nashville is operated on the De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft, with daily service beginning today. The new route connects Billy Bishop - located just minutes from downtown Toronto - with one of North America’s most popular getaway destinations. Since launching U.S. flights from YTZ in 2008, Porter has been committed to providing elevated economy service between Toronto and key American cities. The new U.S. Customs Preclearance facility at Billy Bishop offers even greater convenience to passengers. Porter continues to build frequency and connectivity from the city’s downtown airport, providing more options for travellers than any other airline.
Service between Toronto Pearson and Quebec City will be operated by the brand new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with 12 weekly roundtrip flights beginning May 12. The new route complements existing Toronto-City service. Connections are available through Toronto Pearson to Western Canada destinations such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Kelowna. Additionally, these flights are optimally timed for our partner Air Transat’s extensive European network accessible via YQB, including destinations such as Lisbon, Rome, Venice, Paris, and Amsterdam.
Porter’s presence at Toronto Pearson continues to grow, connecting to more than 30 routes across North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.
On every Porter flight, passengers can expect genuine hospitality and an elevated level of onboard service, including no middle seats, complimentary wine and beer served in glassware, and premium snacks. Routes operated with the E195-E2 also have free, fast WiFi available for everyone.
PorterReserve fares offer passengers an all-inclusive economy experience, with fresh meals, extra legroom seats, premium pre-mixed cocktails, priority check-in, and ticketing flexibility. These options are available à la carte with PorterClassic fares.
Full schedule details are available at www.flyporter.com.
Quotes
“Porter continues to build connectivity from Toronto’s two complementary airports, providing even more options for travellers to explore this summer. Nashville and Quebec City are both popular destinations, rich in culture and history. Passengers can now connect easily to Porter’s expanding Eastern Canada network from Billy Bishop and across North America from Toronto Pearson.”
- Andrew Pierce, vice president, network planning and reporting, Porter Airlines
“Porter’s new nonstop service to Nashville marks a significant milestone in the continued expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s transborder network. This route improves both choice and convenience for travellers, while strengthening Toronto’s direct links to some of North America’s most in demand destinations. With the introduction of U.S. Preclearance and Porter’s ongoing investment in service from downtown Toronto, this launch underscores strong confidence in Billy Bishop Airport’s role as a passenger-focused urban airport. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Porter as we support greater connectivity, drive economic benefits, and deliver seamless travel experiences for the city and region we serve.”
- RJ Steenstra, president & CEO, Toronto Port Authority, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
“Porter’s new nonstop service to Nashville is a great example of how Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and partners continue to evolve in ways that put the passenger first. With U.S. preclearance now in place, travellers can enjoy more choice and a smoother, more seamless experience when flying to the U.S. from downtown Toronto. This route reflects the strength of our partnership with Porter and the Toronto Port Authority, and our shared focus on delivering the kind of convenient, elevated travel experience passengers expect and value.”
- Eve Wiggins, chief operating officer, Nieuport Aviation
“Porter Airlines’ first departure from Nashville International Airport (BNA) marks an important addition to our growing international offerings. As demand for global travel continues to rise in Middle Tennessee, expanding our partnerships is essential to providing travelers with more destinations and greater convenience. Nonstop service to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) offers a direct connection into downtown Toronto, giving our passengers another valuable option for international travel. We’re proud to welcome Porter as our newest airline partner and to celebrate the launch of a service that further enhances BNA’s global reach.”
- Doug Kreulen, president and CEO, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA)
“We welcome Porter’s continued expansion of service to destinations across the country. Quebec City is a vibrant and important market for both business and leisure travel, and this new route gives passengers more choice, greater convenience, and easier access to the destinations they want to reach across Canada at a time when demand for domestic travel continues to grow.”
- Carl Jones, head of business aviation development, Toronto Pearson
“We are pleased to see the return of the route between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, operated by Porter Airlines. These 12 flights to the Canadian metropolis are fully in line with our objective of offering more options to travellers from the region and across Québec. They also help to strengthen connectivity to popular destinations in Western Canada.”
- Stéphane Poirier, president and CEO, YQB
About Porter
Since 2006, Porter Airlines has been elevating the experience of economy air travel for every passenger, providing genuine hospitality with style, care and charm. Porter’s fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft serves North America, including a coast-to-coast domestic Canadian network, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Headquartered in Toronto, Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating®. Visit www.flyporter.com or follow @porterairlines on Instagram, Facebook and X.
Porter Airlines continues to grow its Toronto network with new service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Nashville International Airport (BNA), as well as reintroducing service from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB).
