After a roller-coaster road trip in Denver, the Dodgers are set to face the Padres in an away series.

Following today's 9-5 victory that evened the four-game series against the Rockies, Mookie Betts was seated on a couch in the Dodgers' clubhouse at Coors Field.

As he ate his postgame meal, the TV broadcasted the Padres facing the Giants. The game was in the seventh inning, and San Diego was moving toward a win that would maintain their one-game deficit behind Los Angeles in the National League West standings.

In today’s win, Betts went 2-for-3 with two singles and two walks. He wasn’t the only one in the room thinking about the Padres. After a series marked by ups and downs against the league’s worst team, the Dodgers are heading to San Diego for a second matchup against their rivals within a week.

When they arrived in Colorado, the Dodgers had just completed a statement sweep at home against the Padres, who had previously surpassed them in the standings. The series against the Rockies, sandwiched between two matchups with the Padres, was a perfect chance to build a lead before these two powerhouse teams met again.

But that didn’t happen. As the Dodgers flew back to the West Coast, questions loomed about which team would show up in San Diego this weekend: the one that struggled offensively in two losses, or the squad that scored 20 runs in two wins?

The Dodgers understand that winning is what matters most. It just would have been more helpful to secure more wins in Colorado.

“I think we definitely can produce more offense,” said rookie infielder Alex Freeland, who went 3-for-5 today, including a double and his first major league triple. “But you know what? We’re taking today’s win and this momentum into San Diego.”

However, momentum can be fickle. Take Tuesday’s shocking walk-off loss following a dominant weekend sweep as an example. And Thursday seemed like another low point, when Shohei Ohtani was hammered on the mound and the offense slumped again after blasting 18 hits the night before.

Still, the Dodgers are making progress in a crucial area: health. Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates are expected to be activated from the injured list soon. Manager Roberts said the plan is to activate Scott before Saturday’s series opener against the Padres, with Yates possibly joining then as well.

“I hope we can win all four games,” said manager Dave Roberts. “But that didn’t happen. They beat us easily twice. That’s baseball. We have to go out there and, no matter the standings, beat the Padres.”

Despite Ohtani being hit by a comebacker in Thursday’s start, he is expected to return to the starting rotation tomorrow.

With bullpen reinforcements on the way and starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lined up, the Dodgers certainly have reasons to be optimistic.

Today’s starter Clayton Kershaw shared the same sentiment, continuing his impressive August with 5.2 solid innings pitched.

“You obviously want to win every game,” said Kershaw, who allowed six hits and three runs with one walk and three strikeouts. “But ultimately, I think, depending on how that Padres game went, we entered the series with a two-game lead, right? We feel good about that.”

Freddie Freeman hit a 451-foot home run today, helping the Dodgers take an early 2-0 lead. After Wednesday’s win, he noted that the team is resilient and “one day’s performance won’t change us.”

Still, the feeling of a missed opportunity to sweep the Rockies — a team the Dodgers had beaten 10 times in a row before this series — remains hard to shake.

“I think that’s just how it is,” Roberts said. “But that’s where we are now. I can’t change it. I’m confident in our team heading to San Diego.

“…We’ve obviously played them well this year. They’ll bring their best against us this weekend, and we have to be ready for that.”

Okay, leading by one game. But the main point still stands, especially considering the sources. Kershaw, Betts, and many others on the roster have faced even greater pressure before.