Dodgers sweep Padres behind San Diego's one-of-a-kind, pathetic weekend meltdown

And there it is. A sweep of the San Diego Padres in what was supposed to be a battle for the NL West. In the end, the Los Angeles Dodgers handled business fairly easily and now have a two-game lead after disposing of their rivals.

But it wasn't all that simple. The Dodgers were supposed to be cruising at this point in the season. The upstart San Francisco Giants faded. The battered Arizona Diamondbacks sold. Meanwhile, the Dodgers withstood injuries that would've crippled lesser teams in the early going and got their pair of aces back heading into the trade deadline with an opportunity to add even more talent and secure their lead position in the division down the stretch.

Instead, the team struggled when it should've flourished. Dropping seven of nine heading into the All-Star break, the club came out 10-14 since the break, entering an August 15-18 showdown against the pesky San Diego Padres. With a quiet trade deadline and their lone impact acquisition landing on the IL, LA was staring down the precipice of everything they'd worked for unraveling.

And then the unthinkable happened. The Padres should have been smelling blood, entering the pivotal series neck and neck with the Dodgers and a golden opportunity to turn the tables, yet through two games of the three-game set, San Diego has shot themselves in the foot with their own shoddy play.

The Padres' self-inflicted mistakes are just what the doctor ordered to get the Dodgers back on track

Sometimes all it takes is a small push to get a team rolling. The Dodgers saw this first-hand in last year's World Series, taking full advantage of the New York Yankees' inability to execute even the most basic defensive fundamentals, and using that misstep as the catalyst to secure the World Series crown.

Now the Padres may have given them the same favor. All-World third baseman' Manny Machado's misplay of a Miguel Rojas bunt in the bottom of the third of the series opener set the Dodgers up to break through, leading to a two-run inning in LA's eventual 3-2 victory. Machado then struck out to end Sunday's contest.

The next day, San Diego seemed determined to create havoc on the bases early and quickly paid the price for trying to test All-Star catcher Will Smith. The Padres could have put Blake Snell on the ropes early after Francisco Tatis Jr. led off the game with a single. Instead, Tatis, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts were all gunned down trying to run on Smith, who recorded three of the first four outs of what became a 6-0 victory for LA.

Then came Sunday. The back-and-forth affair featured the Padres tying the game in the eighth, but giving it right back in the bottom half. Robert Suarez, are you kidding with this pitch to Mookie Betts on a 2-0 count?

And that's a wrap. Three relatively easy wins. Back on top of the NL West. The Padres came into this one scorching hot and the Dodgers were ice cold. Looks like we know what the recipe is for LA to get back on track. They just need to be paid a visit by little brother.

What an absolute morale killer for the Pads. We'll see if they have any shred of gumption when the Dodgers travel to San Diego next weekend.