LOS ANGELES — It was touted as the biggest series of the month. It was billed as a potential passing of the torch, with the San Diego Padres threatening to win the National League West for the first time in 19 years. Instead, Sunday’s finale ended in a three-game sweep — and a relatively convincing one, at that.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Yuki Matsui revealed he doesn't like facing the Los Angeles Dodgers due to the heightened media coverage around him when he face

Mookie Betts hits a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Sunday.

As San Diego continues its playoff push, Merrill’s recovery will be closely monitored. The Padres have leaned heavily on their pitching and defense to stay afloat in the division race, and losing one of their most dynamic young players could test their depth down the stretch.

The San Diego Padres had seemingly all of the momentum heading into this past weekend's series at Dodger Stadium against their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodg

Then Betts rescued the Dodgers with the 394-foot shot to left-center off Robert Suarez. It was the shortstop's 13th homer of the season and just his fifth since June. Betts had 25 in 2022 and 39 in 2023.

It's safe to say that things haven't been going swimmingly for Teoscar Hernandez and the Dodgers with him at right field.

The Dodgers snapped a four-game losing skid with a victory in the series opener on Friday. The Padres had a five-game winning streak snapped. Blake Snell is likely to serve as the starting pitcher for the Dodgers on Saturday.