The Padres left Dodger Stadium over the weekend a bit battered after getting swept, falling two games back in the NL West with another big showdown against L.A. coming up this weekend. However, as the Dodgers tied the series with the Rockies 2-2, San Diego’s goal was simply to hang in there and not lose ground. Instead, they did even better. They took advantage of the Dodgers’ slip-ups and wrapped up a series win over the Giants with an 8-4 victory on Thursday afternoon at Petco Park.

Now, the Padres trail the Dodgers by just one game heading into their final regular-season showdown. For the unversed, San Diego’s bats stayed hot on Thursday, putting up eight runs a day after scoring seven. All in all, it was an impressive bounce-back week for a team that had looked shaky over the weekend. Enough to leave their manager absolutely thrilled. “Ultimately, it’s about execution and playing the game. Really excited, can’t wait for tomorrow night. I wish it was tonight,” Mike Shildt said post the 8-4 win over the Giants.

But the Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. doesn’t seem moved by his manager’s words: “I need to go to sleep first before anything else. Being dragging a little bit late on mom. Yeah, we’re just ready.”

Well, no, it’s not another Aaron Judge-Aaron Boone story; rather, Tatis just took a hilarious dig at his manager’s overexcitement.

Tatis has looked a bit worn down lately, and it’s hard to blame him given the jaw-dropping plays he’s been making. The latest came on Wednesday in the first inning against the Giants, when he perfectly timed a leap in right field to rob Rafael Devers of a home run. But while the defense has been dazzling, his bat has gone quiet.

For reference, Tatis hasn’t homered since July 24 against the Cardinals and has just eight RBIs in 17 games this month. His current drought, 109 plate appearances, is the longest of his career. So, maybe the spark of the Padres-Dodgers rivalry on Friday will be just what he needs to break out with a long ball.

The upcoming Padres-Dodgers series would be different

Last time the Padres faced the Dodgers, the latter was coming after getting swept by the Angels. And the Padres? They came after sweeping the Giants. But the record went for a toss, with the Dodgers eventually coming out as the winner. However, this time, the situation is the same but yet different. The Dodgers are coming after tying the series with the Rockies, and the Padres are coming after winning against the Giants.

The Padres would reportedly see a different bullpen this time from the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are about to get some reinforcements in the bullpen, with Tanner Scott expected to be activated before Friday’s series opener at Petco Park and Kirby Yates possibly joining him on Saturday. Shohei Ohtani, who had a scheduled day off Thursday, is also set to be back in the lineup Friday.

For the Padres, though, baserunning and hitting with runners in scoring position remain a concern. While the Dodgers lead the majors with an .865 OPS in those spots, the Padres sit near the bottom at .680, ranking 27th. “One thing we’ve still got to work on is runners in scoring position,” Shildt said.

Well, Shildt rarely singles out his team’s flaws, but even he’s noted it’s an issue. Still, the numbers show it’s not entirely bleak. With a runner on third, the Padres are batting .289 with a .340 OBP and .406 slugging, per Baseball Reference. So, it’s the only issue for the Padres to fix before going against the Dodgers.