Underdog Padres have shot to bite L.A.

One truth of October baseball is the Padres never are a clear favorite. Yet it seldom matters unless they reach the World Series.

The Padres weren’t supposed to beat the Cubs in the 1984 playoffs, but did.

While the ’98 Pads owned 98 wins, they were supposed to lose to the Astros and Braves, who’d won 102 and 106 games, respectively, and held home-field advantage. Except the Padres didn’t. This week, it’s the same setup.

The Padres are supposed to lose to the Dodgers, the top seed of the 16-team World Series tournament. Not only were the Dodgers better during the 60-game season, the Padres are arm-challenged after holding out Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger from the firstround series last week, days after arm ailments shelved each co-ace.

Off the field, there’s a big difference from what other Padres playoff series serve up.

The respective fan bases can’t comprehend each other, despite in some instances living together. It’s a “SoCal” divide as wide as the precious open land — long may it last — between Oceanside and San Clemente.

Can a Dodgers fan fathom nine consecutive losing seasons, a Padres streak that ran until this year? How about notching one playoff victory in 21 years until last week?

Can a Padres fan appreciate “World Series title or bust” reminders weighing down one single season, much less every season, as has been the drill for the past several Dodgers clubs?

Star power

Fernando Tatis Jr. has yet to play 162 games in the big leagues.

Already, he has 39 home runs. He’s batted .301/.374/ .582.

On the basepaths he’s fast, and almost impossible to tag out. He has scored 111 runs in 143 games.

While it would seem preposterous to note Tatis wears the same jersey No. 23 as LeBron James and Michael Jordan, he’s that type of athlete and competitor in this aspect: He causes his sport’s top players and coaches to marvel.

If 60 games counts as a season, Manny Machado this year gave the Padres their best season of third-base defense. I doubt Ken Caminiti or Graig Nettles, both of them brilliant in Mission Valley, would disagree. Offensively, Machado’s career numbers at 28 compare to Hall of Fame third basemen Ron Santo and Cal Ripken Jr.

Lately Wil Myers, 29, has performed as Baseball America had in mind when it made him the sport’s No. 4 prospect seven years ago. Eric Hosmer, a former World Series champion and AllStar MVP, matched Machado and Tatis with five “hard hits” in the three-game first round.

The Dodgers have enough stars to rent space in Hollywood. Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts. Corey Seager. Cody Bellinger. The latter three are in their 20s.

Yet Justin Turner may be their best hitter. He’s as calm as Phil Mickelson in a bunker.

Looking ahead

The Dodgers are rightly favored, mostly for this reason: Their starting pitching raises fewer questions.

It seems a stretch to give their bullpen the edge, given that Padres relievers logged a 1.71 ERA across 21 innings in the first round and also supplied 12⁄ scoreless in

3 nings, via “opener” Craig Stammen, to the clinching victory. But the Dodgers had the better bullpen during the season.

The Dodgers aren’t without concerns. A finger blister has nagged Walker Buehler, their Game 1 starting pitcher. Kershaw’s career ERA in the postseason is two runs higher than his regularseason mark. Max Muncy and Bellinger, two regulars, had down seasons, though Bellinger rallied in the past few weeks. Closer Kenley Jansen looked vulnerable in the first-round opener.

Mookie and the Pads

The Padres regret not drafting Mookie Betts in 2011 after area scout Mark Conner and Betts’ uncle Terry Shumpert, a former Padres player, urged them to take him. The Padres had enough money and a surplus of draft picks. “I thought for sure the Padres were going to draft him,” Shumpert said by phone from Denver this summer.

Last offseason when the Red Sox shopped Betts, the Padres showed interest but it was the Dodgers who traded for him.

Now the expectations for Betts are the greatest of any player in this star-laden matchup and perhaps the whole postseason field.

The Dodgers traded for him to help them end their World Series title drought that began in 1989. Then they signed him for $365 million.

“Yes, there’s a ton of pressure,” Shumpert said recently.

Shumpert said he’s “forever a Padres fan” and added: “I’m a big fan of Tony and Alicia Gwynn. I’m a big fan of (GM) A.J. Preller and (hitting coach) Damion Easley. I wish for the Padres’ success.”

But he said it feels to him like his nephew, who’ll turn 28 on Wednesday, will be ready to hit the ball if the Padres let him. And he said Betts will continue to excel in right field and on the basepaths.

“I just think even with as much Mookie has accomplished,” Shumpert said this week, “it’s gonna be clear at the end of this month that this kid is the best player in our game right now.”

First to three victories, wins. Bragging rights will stretch for years.