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.

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.

The Padres president of baseball operations was talking about the good Dylan Cease, the man capable of shutting down teams and throwing no-hitters. That is not who climbed the mound in the first inning Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

The San Diego Padres were recently swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game weekend set, which took place at Dodger Stadium. Two of the three games were one-run games, and the Padres will have their chance at redemption later this week with three games against the Dodgers at Petco Park.

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.

Los Angeles is now two games up in the standings, with a 71-53 record. The Dodgers are on the road for a four game series at Colorado, before these two teams meet up again next weekend, this time in San Diego. The Padres are now 69-55, and will start a four game series against the Giants on Monday.

Xander Bogaerts, who had been hit by a pitch to start the inning, was on third and Laureano on second. Iglesias drove in Bogaerts with a groundout before Fermin made the final out on a comebacker to Vesia. The lefty retired the top of the Padres’ order — Tatis, Arraez and Machado — in the ninth.

San Diego is 69-53 overall and 31-33 on the road. The Padres have the fifth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .251. The teams meet Saturday for the ninth time this season. The Dodgers lead the season series 6-2.

Preview the Aug. 17 matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.