The Padres must've come into their series against the Dodgers feeling very good about themselves, but they didn't play like it. San Diego had just overtaken LA for first place in the NL West and entered the series 8-2 over their last 10 to the Dodgers' 4-6. The Dodgers continued to be beaten down by injuries — this time, to position players more than pitchers — while the Padres lost Michael King right before the series opener, but were otherwise at full strength.
There was a world in which the Padres left the series with a four-game division lead, but instead they fell back to second place, two games behind, after suffering a sweep.