If a sports rivalry requires both two teams to win over the course of history, then the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres aren't there quite yet, according to Alanna Rizzo.
The former Dodgers field reporter and current MLB Network contributor joined the Reiter Than You show on Thursday to discuss the recent drama between both NL West division clubs, as well as the Padres' odds of ousting the defending World Series champions this season.
"I think the Padres certainly are now a competitor in the division. I'm not certain that they're a contender, as far as winning the division, but they definitely have improved their chances," Rizzo said. "They -- for lack of a better phrase -- won the offseason, if you're looking at everybody that [Padres general manager] A.J. Preller brought in, in terms of arms as well as obviously signing [shortstop] Fernando Tatis Jr. to that ridiculous extension. Good for him, I'm happy for him. And I know Padres fans are always all over me about this, and they still think I have a Dodgers bias, but until they can consistently beat the Dodgers, head-to-head, in my opinion, it's not a rivalry. And it's still the Dodgers' division to lose.
"You can see what's happened so far in the three-game series that they played, albeit each game could've gone either way. But until the Padres can consistently beat the Dodgers, they're not going to win that division. And I do think the Dodgers just have more firepower. I think they have more arms. I think they just have more depth, up and down the entire 26-man roster..."
Los Angeles (14-4), which currently sits in first place in the NL West standings, won two of three games against San Diego last weekend at Petco Park. The series was captivating from start to finish, and it over-delivered on tension and postseason-esque suspense.
On Thursday night, the two teams will face each other again, this time at Dodgers Stadium in a four-game set. Considering that both the Dodgers and Padres are currently ranked the top-two teams in projected wins, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, their regular season matchups hold a significant amount of weight.
"They start a huge four-game series tonight at Dodgers Stadium," Rizzo said. "And the Dodgers have the ability to roll out their big guns and manipulate the rotation, to roll out [Clayton] Kershaw, [Walker] Buehler, [Trevor] Bauer, and Dustin May in this four-game series, where the Padres, in my opinion, albeit have good arms, they don't have legitimately four aces like you can argue the Dodgers do... Again, I think [the Padres] are a competitor, I don't think they're a contender."
The Padres' road to the NL pennant will undoubtedly go through Los Angeles, as the Dodgers have won eight consecutive division titles.
The entire MLB conversation between Rizzo and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.