San Diego Padres All-Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. spoke about overtaking the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West after Wednesday’s games.

The Padres trailed the Dodgers by as many as nine games in July, and now lead them by a game after a 9-3 run since the trade deadline.

“It’s huge,” Tatis said. “That’s what we’re playing for. Now, we’ve got to take a lead in first place and stay consistent. And this is the team to do it. It’s now a matter of fact. It’s in our hands how much we want it.”

The Padres completed a three game sweep over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, placing them 0.5 games in front of the Dodgers ahead of their game in the evening. The Los Angeles Angels completed their own sweep over the Dodgers on Wednesday, giving the Padres a one game lead over their rivals.

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The two teams play each other in a three-game series beginning Friday, and the result could set the tone for the division for the remainder of the season. The Padres last faced off against the Dodgers in May, and there was no shortage of drama in the matchup.

The benches cleared in the final game of their four-game set after the Dodgers hit Tatis for the second time in the series, leading to one-game suspensions for managers Mike Shildt and Dave Roberts and a two-game suspension for Padres closer Robert Suarez after he hit Shohei Ohtani in the following half inning.

The Dodgers currently lead the season series, 5-2, though the Padres have stayed competitive in every loss, keeping the deficit to three runs or fewer. They have not faced the Dodgers since their busy deadline, which could have completely turned the matchup on its head.

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The Padres added All-Stars Ryan O’Hearn, Mason Miller and Nestor Cortes at the deadline, strengthening their already elite pitching staff and getting another option at either designated hitter or first base, as well as outfielder Ramon Laureano, who filled the void left by Jason Heyward earlier in the season.

With five straight wins heading into Friday’s series opener, the Padres are in a prime position to extend their lead in the NL West against a Dodgers team which has massively struggled over the past few weeks. The Friars will look to take another big step towards winning the NL West for the first time since 2006 on Friday at 7:10 p.m. PT.

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