The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the San Diego Padres on Sunday to expand their lead in the National League West to two full games.
The Dodgers winning all three matchups against the Padres came on the heels of a four-game losing streak and a prolonged down stretch in general.
Entering the weekend series at Dodger Stadium, L.A. had gone just 12-21 since July 4. Meanwhile, San Diego was 23-12 during the same span and seemingly had all the momentum after making several big moves at the trade deadline.
The Dodgers, however, continued their recent dominance over the Padres and now have won five consecutive series against them dating back to last year. The stretch includes their meeting in the 2024 NL Division Series.
L.A. and San Diego will meet for another three-game set this weekend at Petco Park, which represent their final matchups against each other in the regular season.
Should the teams finish with the same record, the Dodgers will win the NL West tiebreaker by virtue of clinching the season series against the Padres.
Reaction to Dodgers sweep Padres
Dave Roberts
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was pleased with his team’s performance against the Padres.
“Very satisfying,” Roberts said of the team’s sweep. “Considering where we were four days ago, just the way we ramped up the focus, the intensity, and obviously winning three ballgames, very tight ballgames, well-played games, and to come out of it with three wins is huge going into Denver.”
While Roberts was pleased with the Dodgers completing a sweep, he stopped short of calling it a statement series.
“I don’t think anyone in that clubhouse doubted our abilities and how good we can be,” Roberts said. “Honestly, it was just good to play a really good series start to finish.
“We respect those guys, I think they respect us. Now we’ve got to turn the page and move on.”
Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman also felt the Dodgers sweeping the Padres was important, but knows the team can’t get complacent or lose sight of the bigger picture.
“I think we all know who we are in here and how good this team can be,” Freeman said. “We’ve just got to play good baseball like we did this weekend.
“Now it’s a little bit of a sprint with 38, 39, games left. I think that’s outside. We know who we are inside. Now we’ve got to keep it going.”
Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts echoed a similar sentiment and said the Dodgers need to maintain their steady approach against the Colorado Rockies.
“Nothing. I think we just have to focus on Colorado, go play good baseball there and then we’ll see San Diego again. We can’t get caught up in the emotions.”
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