The NL’s best clash as the Phillies visit the Dodgers. Bryce Harper is fired up.

Bryce Harper made his major-league debut at Dodger Stadium. He once ran face-first into the right field wall there and took 11 stitches under the chin. And it was where he completed his swift comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery 15 months ago.

It doesn’t take much to fire up Harper for a series in Los Angeles.

There’s no sense hyping this week’s clash of the National League titans. The Phillies are trying to steady themselves after staggering around for the last month. The Dodgers still have Mookie Betts and half of their starting rotation sidelined by injuries.

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But the three games this week at Chavez Ravine aren’t without intrigue. Maybe it’s because the Phillies swept the Dodgers four weeks ago in South Philly, outscoring them by 19-5. After that series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t sugarcoat anything.

“They’re clearly a better team than we are right now,” he said.

Key words: right now.

Because the Phillies were at nearly full strength, sans J.T. Realmuto, and had three of their top starters (Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Aaron Nola) on the mound. The Dodgers had Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernández, but also an All-Star team on the injured list.

The talent gap, like the 1½-game margin in the standings, will be closer for Phillies-Dodgers Round 2, even if Freeman isn’t available for all three games. He hasn’t played since July 25 because his 3-year-old son, Maximus, was hospitalized and being treated for Guillain-Barré syndrome, a nerve disorder that can cause paralysis. Maximus was released from the hospital Sunday, Freeman and his wife announced on social media.

Dodgers starters Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw are healthy now and scheduled to pitch Monday and Tuesday, respectively. And the Dodgers have improved with trades for righty Jack Flaherty, hard-throwing reliever Michael Kopech, infielder Amed Rosario, and veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.

It’s premature to label this week a preview of the NL Championship Series. But if the Phillies and Dodgers, both of whom are leading their divisions, are really on a collision course in October — in the tradition of 1977, 1978, 1983, 2008, and 2009 — this will more closely resemble the Dodgers’ roster when they get there.

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“You definitely want to beat a team at their best and when they throw their [Nos.] 1, 2, 3 [starters],” Brandon Marsh said. “We’re going to get that, and it’s going to be a test for us on the road, in a tough ballpark, against a really good team. But we’re built for it, and we’re excited.”

It helped that the Phillies went sweepless in Seattle (sorry, couldn’t be helped) with a 6-0 victory Sunday. A mechanical problem with the team plane delayed their departure for Los Angeles, but they scarcely needed jet fuel after four feel-good homers and eight dominant innings from Wheeler, who played his ace role to perfection.

As wins in August go, it was a biggie.

So, the Phillies (66-45) arrived in L.A. with the league’s best record, a prerequisite to securing home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. If they take even one of three games from the Dodgers (65-47), they will leave with the top spot still in their possession.

But the Phillies are 5-13 since sweeping the Dodgers, who are 10-8 over the same time frame. And the Dodgers’ cavalry is nearing a return. Betts, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, newly acquired utilityman Tommy Edman, and starters Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are all expected back this season.

“Every time we play the Dodgers, they’re a really good team no matter who’s on the field or who’s pitching,” Harper said. “They have so much depth in that organization. Obviously they made some acquisitions at the deadline. They’re going to be the Dodgers.

“The Dodgers are always trying to get better and have that multimillion-dollar payroll, just like the best teams in baseball. It’s going to be a good series. Going to L.A. is always fun. Just looking forward to it.”

Harper reached 3,000 career total bases with a single Sunday. He’s the 42nd player to hit that milestone before turning 32 and the third active player, joining Mike Trout and Manny Machado. ... Including Wheeler’s gem Sunday, the Phillies have won 28 consecutive games in which their starter goes at least seven innings. It’s the second-longest streak in baseball history after the 1942 Cardinals, who won 42 in a row. ... Sánchez (7-7. 3.36 ERA) will start Tuesday night against Kershaw (0-1, 5.87).