The Los Angeles Dodgers have opened the 2025 season in historic fashion. With a record of 8-0, they have broken the MLB record for longest win streak by a defending World Series champion to start the year, previously set by the 1933 New York Yankees at 7-0.

Before spring training even began, it already seemed like an inevitable conclusion that the Dodgers would embark on march to a repeat. There appears to be a widely-accepted consensus among MLB analysts and the betting public that the Dodgers are favored to win the 2025 trophy, and in doing so, become the first team since the 2000 Yankees to win consecutive championships. No team was able to match the Dodgers last season, and after adding even more talent over the winter, L.A. now appears unstoppable.

However, one division rival hasn’t yet heard the news.

The San Diego Padres, like the Dodgers, are also undefeated, sporting a 7-0 record on the year. This perfect record comes without Yu Darvish, who is on the IL with elbow inflammation, and as Luis Arraez is mired in a slump to start the season. Even more perplexing is that the Padres have only hit six home runs as a team in their first seven games. And yet, their +25 run differential is the highest in the game, standing just above the +22 figure posted by the Dodgers. How is this possible?

The Padres are tied for the second-highest cumulative batting average in the Majors at .298. If Arraez heats up soon, and there are signs he is, we can only expect this number to move skyward in the short term. As for their pitching staff, the Friars’ cumulative ERA sits at an MLB-best 1.57, trouncing the second-best 1.97 ERA owned by the Dodgers. With some key early data pointing towards a Padres upset, should the Dodgers be worried?

Can the Padres overtake the Dodgers?

The Padres are a great team; that much they made clear last season, as well as with their excellent start to 2025. But toppling the Dodgers for the division crown or in the postseason is easier said than done.

Today, four players in the Padres batting order (Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Gavin Sheets and Jackson Merrill) are hitting for batting averages of .400+ (minimum 18 at-bats). No matter how high their ceiling, it is safe to say the trajectories of these four are unsustainable. The Padres’ six home runs on the season also doesn’t bode well for their power potential; while Machado and Tatis Jr. have shown 35-homer upside in the past, there isn’t a ton of power in this lineup beyond them.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have the second-highest home run total in the league with 18. While we can expect staggering batting averages to fall back to earth over the long run, power doesn’t fade quite like averages do. If the Padres are going to topple the Dodgers either in the division or in a postseason series, their pitching will need to remain top-notch and their offense will need to continue to excel at the old-fashioned contact-hitting game they’ve been playing over the past seven games. With that said, the Padres’ chances of actually achieving either outcome are not great.