The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 111-win season came to a devastating halt following their elimination in the 2022 NLDS against the San Diego Padres. San Diego upset Los Angeles in the series, winning the final game at Petco Park. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressed being back at Petco Park on Friday ahead of LA’s series opener against the Padres, per Matthew Moreno of Dodger Blue.

“Obviously it sort of takes us back to where we were at last year,” Roberts said of returning to Petco Park. “I think we had a lot of time to think about how the season ended and what we need to get better at. But I think right now, we feel good with how we’re playing.”

Dave Roberts should certainly feel good about how the Dodgers have performed as of late. The Dodgers have won six consecutive games heading into this series against the Padres. Los Angeles’ offense is heating up and the pitching is gaining back it’s consistency. Clayton Kershaw and James Outman were named the NL Pitcher and NL Rookie of the Months for April, respectively. Meanwhile Max Muncy has been crushing the ball in recent action.

It will be intriguing to see how the Dodgers fare this weekend nonetheless. As Dave Roberts mentioned, playing at Petco Park will bring back some haunting memories of the 2022 NLDS. Teams lose playoff games all of the time, but that was obviously a more meaningful loss for multiple reasons. Losing to a division rival always hurts, and getting eliminated in the divisional round following such an extraordinary regular season left a bad taste in the Dodgers’ mouths.

We should be in store for an exciting clash between two of the best teams in the National League this weekend, beginning on Friday night.