Six weeks ago, the Padres were reeling. They returned to San Diego having dropped both series on a road trip through Cincinnati and Philadelphia. On the ensuing off-day, the Dodgers beat the White Sox to move nine games clear in the National League West.

The Padres have stormed into first place in the division, just ahead of the start of a highly anticipated three-game series in Los Angeles.

There's a change atop the NL West standings, at least for now. The Padres hold a half-game lead over the Dodgers following their sweep of the Giants.