Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed pitcher Blake Snell will face his former team Saturday night at Chavez Ravine.

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Clayton Kershaw opened the rivalry series for the Dodgers Friday night, and the hope is that Snell carries the same momentum against the San Diego Padres in the second game of the series.

Snell played for the Padres from 2021 to 2023, where he won the second Cy Young of his career in his final season with the club.

“When I was there, we always wanted to beat the Dodgers,” Snell said to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “Because that’s the team you gotta go through to get to the World Series.”

Ahead of the rivalry series, manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers would have to want to win just as badly as the Padres did.

“I do think it’s one of those things where they’re very hyper-focused on us,” Roberts said. “But I guess it’s a compliment. Still, we’ve got to match their intensity because they want to beat us more than anything.”

The Dodgers, who have struggled in July and August, rose to the occasion Friday night. Dodger Stadium had a nervous energy throughout the series opener, as if 50,000 fans were uncertain whether the defending champions could execute as promised.

Lo and behold, the Dodgers put together a strong performance with Clayton Kershaw setting the tone for LA with six dazzling innings. While the first three hitters in the Dodgers lineup were quiet for most of the game, the bottom of the order gave the team three key runs.

And the Dodgers bullpen got the final nine outs, maintaining the lead. It was the Dodgers’ best performance in recent days, and proved LA is still in it to win it.

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Photo Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

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