LOS ANGELES -- If it’s possible for an overwhelmingly successful 6-3 road trip to leave a sour taste in your mouth, well, the Padres managed to pull it off this weekend.

They headed south on Interstate 5 on Sunday night, sitting in markedly better shape than when they left San Diego 10 days ago. In a topsy-turvy National League Wild Card race, the Padres gained 2 1/2 games on Philadelphia and two on Milwaukee in that span.

And yet, the past two days offered something of a stark reminder: They still have a Dodger problem.

Los Angeles won Sunday’s series finale, 9-4, at Dodger Stadium, marking the seventh straight series the Padres have lost to their Southern California rivals. In four series this season, the Padres are 3-10.

“They’re the best team in the league right now,” said Padres manager Bob Melvin. “We’re going to have to find a way to beat these guys if we’re going to go where we want to go.”

Typically, when the Padres play games at Dodger Stadium, it serves as something of a referendum on the state of the organization. Right now, it isn’t that. These days, it doesn't matter who the Padres are playing. They need wins.

“As many Wild Card teams as you have right now, it’s about getting in,” Melvin said. “Every game is important, no matter where you play it.”

In that regard, they didn't lose any ground Sunday. Both the Phillies and Brewers lost, leaving the Padres half a game up on Philadelphia and three games ahead of Milwaukee in the race for the final two playoff spots.

But the Padres had the chance to give themselves quite a cushion. On Friday night, they believed they'd delivered something of a statement, handing the Dodgers their worst loss of the season. Then, L.A. responded with 12 runs on Saturday and nine more on Sunday.

“These guys are obviously in the spot they’re in because they’re a really good team,” said Jake Cronenworth. “When we play these guys, we need to play our best baseball.”

On Sunday, they did not. It was the type of game that has come to define this rivalry of late. Which is to say: The Dodgers got a few breaks -- and the Padres allowed them to capitalize.

For instance: Padres starter Mike Clevinger was laboring in the fourth inning when he threw an inside fastball that appeared to hit the knob of Chris Taylor’s bat.

“It sounded like his wrist is made of wood,” Clevinger quipped afterward.

Nonetheless, plate ump Dan Merzel awarded Taylor first base on a hit-by-pitch. Melvin belatedly attempted to challenge but did so well after the allotted 20-second window that managers are given. The bases were loaded.

Clevinger proceeded to walk Cody Bellinger, allowing the go-ahead run to score, and his night was done. Melvin, managing as aggressively as he’s managed all year, called for right-hander Luis García in the fourth inning.

And García should’ve escaped with minimal damage. Mookie Betts plated a run with a sacrifice fly. Then, Trea Turner hit what looked like a routine fly ball to left. But Jurickson Profar got a poor read and never made up the ground he’d lost. The ball caromed off the glove of shortstop Ha-Seong Kim for a two-run double, and the Dodgers had a 5-1 lead.

“I broke a little bit [in the wrong direction],” Profar said. “He took a full swing. But he didn’t square it up.”

The Padres stormed back with three runs in the seventh, cutting the deficit to one. But their rally ended when Trent Grisham went down looking at a pitch that appeared several inches inside. The Dodgers promptly responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame -- including a three-run homer from former Padre Trayce Thompson putting the game out of reach.

“We really felt like we had a really good chance to come back and win this game,” Melvin said. “Strike three to Grish was a bad call. We gave up four the next inning, so it didn’t matter, but it certainly got them out of an inning.”

Ten days ago, following a shutout loss against Cleveland, Melvin said the Padres had hit "hopefully rock bottom." From there, they proceeded to reel off victories in six of their next seven games. They won two of three in Kansas City, then swept the Giants, before taking Friday’s series opener in resounding fashion.

“We had a really good road trip,” Profar said. “And we were in this game, too, ‘til the end.”

Taken solely on the basis of the standings, the Padres should be pleased with the position they left Dodger Stadium in on Sunday night. They are not presently scheduled to return to L.A. this season. But they’d sure love to make a trip back here at some point next month.