The Padres will travel to Los Angeles Thursday where they will face the Dodgers in a National League Division Series beginning Saturday after sweeping the Atlanta Braves in a Wild Card Series.
"We're going to play our game," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "It's about what we do. Clearly going to respect them. They've got a really nice club. We fought tooth and nail to get to the end of the season, for the division.
"But now we're in the part of the season where winner moves on and we wouldn't want it any other way. It's going to be a wonderful series. We're super excited about it. Can't wait."
The Padres were 8-5 against Los Angeles in the regular season, including a 2-4 record at Dodger Stadium. The teams also split two games in Seoul, South Korea to start the season.
Dylan Cease will pitch for the Padres in Game 1 of the best-of-five series, opposing fellow right-hander Jack Flaherty.
Cease faced the Dodgers twice in the regular season — allowing one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-1 victory July 31 at Petco Park and getting a no decision in a 4-3 loss Sept. 25 at Dodger Stadium, where he allowed three runs and five hits the score was tied 3-3 when he was relieved at the start of the sixth inning.
Flaherty made his lone 2024 appearance the Padres in that Sept. 25 game, allowing three runs and four hits in five innings.
The Padres defeated the Braves, 5-4, Wednesday night at Petco Park, to win the best-of-three series, two games to none, stringing together six consecutive hits with two outs in the second inning for five runs, then holding off Atlanta's comeback attempt.
The Braves opened the scoring in the first as Michael Harris II doubled, moved to third on Ozzie Albies' ground out and scored on Marcell Ozuna's sacrifice fly.
The Padres loaded the bases in their half of the first on back-to-back infield singles by Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Tatis beating Max Fried's throw to second on a chopper hit in front of the mound by Jurickson Profar.
However, Manny Machado struck out on three pitches and Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts grounded into force outs to end the inning.
"Give Fried credit," Shildt said. "He didn't give in and made some tough pitches and got the meat of our order retired."
Fried retired Donovan Solano and Jake Cronenworth to start the second, then allowed a 376-foot home run over the left-center field fence to Kyle Higashioka on a 1-2 four-seam fastball.
Arraez singled on the next pitch and Tatis and Profar loaded the bases on infield singles. Machado doubled in Arraez and Tatis to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. Jackson Merrill tripled in Machado and Profar, increasing the Padres' lead to 5-1 in front of a sellout crowd announced at 47,705.
Padre starting pitcher Joe Musgrove was relieved by Bryan Hoeing with two outs in the fourth because "something didn't feel right in his elbow," Shildt said.
Jorge Soler homered off Hoeing leading off the fifth.
Harris hit a two-run homer in the eighth to narrow the deficit to 5-4, but Jason Adam retired the next three batters and Robert Suarez pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
Hoeing, the second of six San Diego pitchers, was credited with the victory, allowing one run and one hit in 1 1/3 innings and striking out one.
Fried, the first of five Atlanta pitchers, was charged with the loss, allowing five runs and eight hits in two innings.
