SAN DIEGO -- If we learned anything in the first three games between the Dodgers and Padres, it’s to expect some late-inning drama.

Over the first two games of the weekend series, it was the Dodgers who came up with the big pitches, key defensive plays and timely hits, leading them to two close wins over the Padres. But on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, it was the Padres’ turn, as the Dodgers’ bullpen couldn’t hold a late lead in a 5-2 loss, snapping their eight-game winning streak.

• Box score

“It was a good series,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Every series you go into, you try to win the series -- and we did that. I liked the energy, I like the way we competed. We got beat, and that’s going to happen.”

Trevor Bauer, the Dodgers’ big free-agent acquisition, delivered yet another gem. He allowed just one run over six innings and struck out seven. He became just the third Dodgers pitcher since 1901 to record seven or more strikeouts in his first four games with the club. 

Chris Taylor provided early offensive support, launching a 443-foot home run off Padres starter Blake Snell in the second inning. It was the longest home run of the season for the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers’ offense was held in check after Taylor’s home run, going 1-for-25 with 13 strikeouts. 

“I thought they made some tough pitches,” Taylor said. “Snell did really well. He started mixing in that changeup more. He really had that pitch working. Then they brought in some of their relievers, and they were all throwing power breaking stuff. They executed well, and we weren’t able to string a few good at-bats late to do what we needed to.”

The Padres’ offense was able to do what it needed to do in the late innings against the Dodgers’ usually reliable bullpen. Brusdar Graterol, who was activated from the injured list before the game, made his season debut in the seventh inning. Roberts said he wasn’t going to shy away from Graterol in a big situation, and he kept his word.

• NL West showdown lives up to the billing

Graterol’s first pitch was a 101 mph sinker to Manny Machado. Two pitches later, however, Machado lined a single into left field. Eric Hosmer then followed it up with a game-tying double.

“I thought the stuff was coming out good; obviously, you look at the velocity,” Roberts said. “You just don’t know what you’re going to expect. This is his first time since October being out there. It was just good to get him back. It’s going to happen.”

In the eighth inning, Roberts stuck with Scott Alexander before turning it over to Dennis Santana against the heart of the Padres’ order. Santana got key outs Friday, but it was a bit of a surprise that Roberts went to Santana over Corey Knebel. Roberts said they were trying to stay away from Knebel on Sunday.

The anticipation for the weekend series between the Dodgers and Padres was palpable. Both fan bases were well-represented at Petco Park, and the energy from both dugouts was intense.

There were two benches-clearing incidents between the teams, plenty of fired up pitchers after a big strikeouts, and a plethora of drama. On Friday, the two teams played in the game of the year, going toe to toe for 12 innings. On Saturday, Mookie Betts made one of the plays of the season to keep the game from going into extra innings. It was must-watch TV for the entire country, not just Southern California.

“I think it’s great,” Roberts said. “That’s something that really excites all of us as baseball fans, so getting fan interest and East Coast interest in the National League West, that’s fantastic. Those guys over there deserve it. They’re a really good ballclub. The more people watching baseball, the better.”

Somehow, the three-game series at Petco Park exceeded the hype. Both teams will get to do it again starting on Thursday: The Dodgers host the Padres in a four-game set at Dodger Stadium.

“It felt like a playoff series,” Taylor said. “Every game was close and high energy. The fans were into it. They’re a very good team. I expect that all of our series against them are going to be similar to this.”