ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It was only six weeks ago, on July 3, that the Los Angeles Dodgers held a nine-game lead in the National League West, with their 12th division title in 13 years seen as a foregone conclusion. They have since won only 12 of 33 games. And now, after being swept by the neighboring Angels , the Dodgers find themselves trailing the San Diego Padres -- the team they'll host for a highly anticipated series this weekend -- by one game.

"Obviously, it doesn't feel good to fall into second place and to lose a lot of these games," said Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani , speaking through an interpreter, after a 6-5 loss at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night. "We're doing everything in our power, having close meetings, doing everything that we can to try to right the ship.

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