This weekend, the day after the Fourth of July, NBC Sports will roll out its biggest baseball slate of the year with Star-Spangled Sunday, a full day of programming featuring all 15 of July 5th’s Major League Baseball games on NBC and Peacock.
How to Watch
Watch MLB on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
There are, of course, plenty of matchups to watch in the lineup of games, which kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET with the Mets visiting the Braves, but the primetime matchup on Sunday Night Baseball feels especially key. It’s a National League West divisional rivalry between the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and their closest divisional competition, the San Diego Padres. Let’s take a closer look at what’s ahead and how you can tune in.
RELATED: All About NBC and Peacock’s Star-Spangled Sunday
How to Watch Padres vs. Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball
The Padres vs. Dodgers broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC and Peacock, live from the legendary Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Ahmed Fareed will host pre-game coverage ahead of the 7:20 p.m. start time, with analysis from CC Sabathia, who will provide “Inside the Pitch” commentary from the pitcher’s perspective on select at-bats.
Jason Benetti will call the game for NBC Sports, with analysis from Cy Young winners Orel Hershiser and Jake Peavy. The game is the penultimate matchup in Star-Spangled Sunday, which begins at 12:30 p.m. ET and continues all day on NBC and Peacock.
RELATED: MLB Sunday Night Baseball 2026 Full Schedule
What to expect from Padres vs. Dodgers
The Dodgers are still on a tear as the most dominant team not just in the National League, but in the entire MLB right now. They’ve got the best record in baseball, their hitting attack is one of the best in the league, and their pitching corps is arguably the scariest in the sport at the moment. They sit atop the NL West by a wide margin, with the Padres more than 10 games back in second place.
But the Padres are not without weapons. They’re among the best in the league when it comes to saves and stolen bases, and Manny Machado is having a solid year at bat so far, with Fernando Tatis Jr. standing out as the batting leader on the team. This very much looks like a Dodgers win on paper, but this game will be the seventh time this two teams have faced each other in just the last two weeks. The Padres know their opponent, and they’ve already beaten them once this season. Don’t be surprised to see an Independence Day upset.