Shohei Ohtani celebrates with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman after hitting a home run in the first inning Sunday. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
It seems Dave Roberts experienced some internal conflict before Sunday’s series finale against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.

Initially, the manager downplayed the significance of an early-May series against a potential playoff opponent, stating, “I just want to win as many games as we can.” However, as he reflected on the successful trip, which saw the Dodgers win seven out of nine games, and a homestand that began with two victories over the Braves, his perspective shifted.

Roberts declared, “It’s time to get greedy,” indicating a desire to capitalize on the team’s momentum and aim for a sweep of the Braves.

True to their manager’s sentiment, the Dodgers emerged victorious, securing a 5-1 win in the series finale. Left-hander James Paxton delivered a strong start, while Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández contributed with timely home runs, culminating in a three-game sweep of the Braves before a crowd of 52,733 fans.

“It was Cinco de Mayo, it was sold out, the fans were great … it was good to see our guys play to the level and energy that the fans had this whole series,” Roberts said. “It helps when Shohei hits a two-run homer [in the first inning Sunday] to get us on the board. That kind of set the tone.”

Ohtani also put an exclamation mark on the sweep by demolishing a first-pitch fastball from reliever A.J. Minter in the eighth inning, sending a 464-foot homer to center field — his longest of the season — to give him 17 career multi-homer games and push the Dodgers’ lead to 5-1.

“I think I have to hit the ball twice to get there,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “That’s definitely next-level stuff. It’s pretty special having a guy like Shohei in the lineup, a guy who can do those kinds of things.”

Ohtani’s 10th homer of the season cleared the blue tarp that covers a section of seats in the left-field pavilion just to the left of the center-field plaza.

“No, no,” Roberts said, when asked if he’d ever seen a left-handed-hitter send a ball over that tarp. “He just keeps doing things that we haven’t seen before. A Minter fastball, middle-middle, and he just took a really good swing. It was 111 mph off the bat.

“That’s deep. People don’t hit the ball out there, whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, day game, night game. The wind was actually kind of pushing it from left to right, so he really got into that one.”

Paxton gave up one earned run and five hits in 6⅔ innings, striking out three and walking two, the latter number a significant improvement for a veteran who had walked 22 batters — eight of them in an April 14 game against San Diego — in 25⅔ innings of his first five starts.

“It felt great — I finally found some rhythm out there,” said Paxton, who improved to 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA. “We’ve been working hard between games trying to figure it out, and it just feels good to make some progress. … Walking guys always makes the game harder, so being able to get in the strike zone and not walk as many guys was nice.”

The Dodgers continued their impressive run, securing their 11th win in 13 games. During this streak, their starting pitchers have been outstanding, allowing just 17 earned runs in 75⅓ innings for a remarkable 2.03 ERA, with nine quality starts.

Joe Kelly played a crucial role, recording the final out of the seventh inning by striking out Adam Duvall. Making his 2024 debut after battling shoulder injuries in the previous seasons, Blake Treinen showcased his skills in the eighth inning, retiring the side with one strikeout, including a remarkable 85-mph inside slider that left Jarred Kelenic swinging.

Manager Roberts expressed satisfaction with Treinen’s performance, highlighting his efficiency and pitch variety. With closer Evan Phillips sidelined due to a right hamstring strain, Michael Grove stepped up in the ninth inning, retiring the side in order to seal the victory in a brisk 2-hour, 7-minute game.

Despite limited hits, the Dodgers capitalized on their opportunities, with Shohei Ohtani leading the charge with four hits. Ohtani’s standout moment came in the first inning when he blasted a two-run homer over the center-field wall, following a Mookie Betts walk, off Braves left-hander Max Fried’s up-and-in curveball.

Ohtani also singled in the third inning and singled in the sixth ahead of Teoscar Hernández’s two-run homer to right field, his eighth long ball of the season giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

The Dodgers backed Paxton with several superb defensive plays, the biggest coming in the top of the seventh, when Hernández fielded Matt Olson’s leadoff drive off the right-field wall and air-mailed a throw to Betts at second base to cut down Olson, who was trying to stretch the hit into a double.

The strong throw saved a run, as Marcell Ozuna followed with a home run to right-center field to pull the Braves to within 4-1.

Third baseman Kiké Hernández fielded Ozuna’s second-inning chopper on the outfield grass and made a long one-hop throw to first for the out, Betts and Rojas turned a smooth double play on Chadwick Tromp’s third-inning grounder, and center fielder Andy Pages battled a tough sun while catching seven fly balls.

“The defense,” Roberts said, “was great.”

The Braves arrived in Los Angeles with a major league-best 20-9 record on Friday. A three-game sweep in which the Dodgers (23-13) out-pitched, out-slugged and out-played the Braves while outscoring them 20-6 dropped Atlanta two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

“When you play good teams who were playing really good baseball before they came here, and we do something like this, it’s always important for the confidence of the team,” Rojas said. “But we all understand that this is May, and even though these games are really important, we’re looking for something bigger.

“We’re gonna have to do it again in October to get to where we want to be. Remember, we beat the Diamondbacks last year, the whole year, and we didn’t get it done in October. So right now, we celebrate the little victories, but this doesn’t make our year.”