LOS ANGELES _ After fanning on a two-strike slider for the final out in the seventh inning Sunday, Joc Pederson dropped his bat, removed his gloves, and briefly raised his arms, shooting a befuddled look to the Dodgers dugout.
Like the rest of his team, Pederson was more flummoxed than frustrated, trying to figure out why for a third straight day, the Dodgers couldn't shift into top gear.
For most of the first half, the club has been in the fast lane, speeding to the top of the standings behind a consistent rotation and combustible lineup. But with a 5-3 home loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, the Dodgers (60-32) enter the All-Star break sputtering, losers of three in a row and 6-7 in their past 13 games.
"Obviously losing a couple in a row heading into the All-Star break kind of stinks, especially at home," starting pitcher Ross Stripling said. "But we'll be ready to kick back, get off our feet for a few days, then be ready to roll."
Manager Dave Roberts echoed similar sentiments, passing this weekend off as a small bump in the road. The Dodgers still own the best record in baseball and their 13{-game edge in the National League West is a tie for the third-largest division lead at the All-Star break in MLB history. For now, everyone else remains in the review mirror.
"Once you get through the first half," Roberts said, "you should be mentally and physically exhausted."
His team is no exception. The Dodgers kept their foot on the gas, becoming the first squad in the majors to eclipse the 50- and 60-win marks while posting a gaudy 37-12 record at home, even after the series defeat to the Padres (45-45).
"We played the first half with such high energy and emotion, something like this was bound to happen at some point," said All-Star infielder Max Muncy, who smashed his 22nd home run. "Thankfully for us, it's happening at a time where we're going to get a break and a chance to recover from it."
Yet, after narrow losses Friday and Saturday, Sunday's setback let a little more air from the tires.
Roberts said Stripling (3-3) "pitched well" during a 4 ?-innings start, but the right-hander was tagged for four earned runs. Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. went deep to lead off the game, getting to a low fastball and sending it sailing over the center field wall. An inning later, Manuel Margot belted a center-cut heater to left for a solo shot.
Stripling suffered bad luck in the fifth. Following a leadoff single by Margot, Muncy lost a pop up in the sun at first base and let it drop behind him for a double. Roberts summoned Pedro Baez from the bullpen with Tatis Jr. up two batters later, only to watch the Padres rookie hammer a fastball up in the zone to left for a three-run home run that made it 5-1.
"That inning kind of spun out of control," Roberts said.
Justin Turner's solo shot in the sixth and Alex Verdugo's RBI single, which scored Edwin Rios after the pinch-hitter looped a ground-rule double to left, sparked a Dodgers rally. But just like Friday and Saturday, they couldn't come all the way back.
Pederson's strikeout stranded Verdugo in the seventh. Enrique Hernandez' one-out single in the eighth was negated by a double play from Turner in the next at-bat. Padres closer Kirby Yates slammed the door during a 1-2-3 ninth inning, picking up his third save in as many days.
"You got to give those guys credit," Roberts said of the Padres, who won their first series in Dodger Stadium since May 2016. "The way they got big hits, they pitched us well. Now we've got to reset."
While the Dodgers have managed strong second-half stretches under Roberts, posting a combined 122-88 post-All-Star Game mark in his first three seasons, they aren't flying into the halfway point this year. The Dodgers' three-game losing streak is their longest since a six-game skid in early April.
Even so, Roberts said there will be no mandatory workout before their series in Boston begins Friday. He's focused on getting his group refueled.
"We have a lot of guys that have been through this before," Roberts said. "Everyone has their own plans. There's no gathering or message to the team about rallying the troops for the second half. We know what we need to do."
