On Wednesday night -- after the Padres had completed an 8-1 demolition of the Giants at Petco Park -- Fernando Tatis Jr. stood at his locker and recounted a story from his childhood. If you were ever a baseball-obsessed 10-year-old kid,

BOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres begin a three-game series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. San Diego is 72-56 overall and 41-21 at home. The Padres have the best team ERA in the NL at 3.56.