The Dodgers entered the week appearing to be charging confidently toward the postseason.
They had won 14 of their previous 17 games, secured the National League West title and created separation in the race for a top-two NL seed. More importantly, every part of the roster finally seemed to be clicking at once: the once-struggling offense had found its rhythm, the bullpen had stabilized and the star-studded rotation was performing at a high level.
But that impressive run came with one significant qualification.
The Dodgers had benefited from an exceptionally favorable late-season schedule and had not faced another serious contender in nearly a month.
That made this week’s visit from the San Diego Padres feel like a genuine pre-October examination—and perhaps a preview of a postseason matchup.
The Dodgers failed that final test in concerning fashion Thursday night, losing the rubber match 4-2 at Chavez Ravine just before the playoffs.
Naturally, the Dodgers will minimize the importance of the series. They won Tuesday’s bullpen game 7-0, believed Wednesday’s 5-1 loss was more competitive than the score suggested and suffered no meaningful damage in Thursday’s defeat. They had already clinched a first-round playoff bye before the game, thanks to the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
The Padres also had extra incentive, clinching their own postseason berth by winning the final two games of the series.
Even so, losing the series extended a troubling trend for the two-time defending champions.
The Dodgers are now just 25-28 against teams above .500 that are currently on track to reach the playoffs, excluding the sub-.500 Astros and Rangers, who are tied for first in the AL West.
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Over the past two months, that record has deteriorated to an alarming 2-14 in those matchups.
During that stretch, the Dodgers were swept by the Red Sox, Cubs and Braves. They also managed only one victory in a dispiriting four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Still, no result felt quite as ominous as this week’s series loss to San Diego.
After erupting for four runs in the second inning Tuesday, the Dodgers scored only six more times across their next 25 innings. That came despite Shohei Ohtani’s return from the injured list Wednesday and his multi-hit performance Thursday, which included a ninth-inning RBI double that narrowed the deficit.
The Dodgers created plenty of baserunners and forced each Padres starter out before completing five innings, but they repeatedly squandered chances, going just 4-for-25 with runners in scoring position.
Their missed opportunities overshadowed quality, if unspectacular, starts from Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday and Tyler Glasnow on Thursday. Yamamoto allowed two earned runs over six innings, along with two unearned runs, while Glasnow worked 6.1 innings and surrendered three earned runs—the final one scoring after he departed.
The Dodgers’ bullpen was also largely effective. It finally gave way during San Diego’s three-run seventh inning Thursday, a rally helped by sloppy Dodgers defense—another weakness that resurfaced against a higher-caliber opponent.
Instead of maintaining its recent surge, the Dodgers’ offense slipped back into the mediocre form it showed in midseason.
Now, after several weeks of promising play, the Dodgers once again face difficult questions about their inability to consistently defeat teams bound for the postseason.
Unless that changes soon, the pattern could foreshadow an unexpectedly early exit in October.