3 ways the Padres can regroup after Dodgers send wake-up call

The Padres entered the weekend blazing hot. They had won five straight games, eight of their last ten, and sat atop the National League West for the first time since early April. Everything looked like it was breaking the Padres' way.

Then, a wake-up call. San Diego made the trek to Los Angeles and was promptly swept at the hands of the Dodgers. They fell 3-2 in a close game on Friday, then fell apart in a 6-0 loss on Saturday. They almost pulled off an upset on Sunday, but lost 5-4.

While San Diego was competitive in two of the three games, it never felt like they had the upper hand at any point in the series. In fact, they led for just one of the 27 innings of baseball (the second inning of Friday's loss) and trailed for 24 innings. The close scores might actually be deceiving, because San Diego felt like the clear underdog throughout the weekend.

While this could be taken as a devastating blow to the Padres' NL West division title chance, it could also be a wake-up call. While the weekend is certainly a setback, it does not change what is true. The Dodgers are still vulnerable. The Padres are still talented. With 37 games to go (including three more against Los Angeles), there is still time for San Diego to claim the throne in the NL West.

Here are three ways the Padres can regroup after the series and get things right.

Padres need to forget sweep vs. Dodgers and focus on final month of season amid playoff push

1. Stop rolling out weak lineups

No matter which way you slice it, Jose Iglesias is not one of the Padres' best nine hitters. He has a .588 OPS, and has been worth -0.5 bWAR this season. If the Padres are serious about winning this year, Iglesias can not continue to be the DH in this lineup. He did not get a single hit against the Dodgers.

2. Refine the bullpen

It's a good problem to have four elite relievers. The Padres have them, with Robert Suarez, Mason Miller, Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon all proving capable of doing whatever the team has asked of them.

With that being said, the Padres need to refine the way they use their elite relievers in game situations. Is Suarez the closer, or is Miller? Who is the set-up man? Does it even matter which elite reliever throws which inning? It might, because the Dodgers scored the winning run off Suarez on Sunday.

3. Make it through the gauntlet, then feast

Looking at the Padres' upcoming schedule, it appears they are in the gauntlet. San Diego has three more games against the Giants, followed by another three-game set with the Dodgers and three with the Mariners.

After that, San Diego plays the following teams the rest of the way: Rockies (7), Twins (3), Orioles (3), Reds (3), Mets (3), White Sox (3), Brewers (3), Diamondbacks (3).

Outside of the Brewers, it's one of the least intimidating stretch runs in all of baseball. The Reds and Mets are above .500 and could cause the Padres some trouble, but neither team has been hot as of late, and the Mets have been getting worse, not better, throughout the year. The Padres should be able to clean up at least a 16-10 schedule in their final 26 games, if not better.

That means San Diego needs to really lock in during the next week and a half. Take out your rivals in the Giants, Dodgers and Mariners, then cruise to the finish with an easy September. It can be done, and it might still allow the Padres to sneak ahead of Los Angeles and win the NL West.