As Dave Roberts put it: Wednesday was a day of calm, not concern.

The Dodgers manager had not expected passionate speeches from his players, even after Tuesday’s loss, which ended in a triple play.

He neither heated up the dressing room nor held an impromptu end-of-season meeting, even though his team’s lead in the table was melting like ice.

Instead, Roberts just wanted a clean, complete performance from his injury-plagued but ever-resilient team in the second act of this week’s decisive three-game series against the San Diego Padres.

“We play 162 games, and there are a lot of heartbreaking games,” Roberts said. “And the problem with baseball players is they have to come back the next day and win.”

With a lot of help from Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers managed to do just that.

Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres didn’t clinch the National League West title, but with four games left in the regular season and the Dodgers back to a three-game lead in the division, they can get the champagne bottles and plastic wrap ready.

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At another turning point where their top spot in the standings seemed to be in jeopardy, the Dodgers have once again found a way to stabilize their season.

This time they had Ohtani to thank above all.

In the latest validation of his MVP candidacy, the slugger struck out two in three games, including a double, a walk, two RBIs and his 56th stolen base of the season. He played a key role in each of the team’s three comebacks, including a sixth-inning lead-off single to break a 3-3 tie.

Struggling first baseman Freddie Freeman also showed some life at the plate, collecting two hits. Gavin Lux ended a four-for-37 losing streak with an RBI single in the fourth inning before adding another single in the eighth.

And while starting pitcher Jack Flaherty struggled through five innings and three runs in his final warm-up before the postseason, the Dodgers’ bullpen was outstanding for the rest of the game, totaling four scoreless innings while allowing just three walks and no hits.

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The Dodgers now head into Thursday’s series finale with a chance to do something they haven’t done since 2018: celebrate a decisive home victory.

But even if they don’t manage that, they will enter the final weekend of the season with no less than a two-game lead, and with that seemingly comfortable lead they will head to Colorado to face the last-place Rockies in the final game of the regular season.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.