Padres 6-5 Dodgers (Oct. 8, 2024) Game Recap

SAN DIEGO – Fernando Tatis Jr.'s massive two-run home run capped a six-run second inning, and the San Diego Padres beat Shohei Ohtani and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 for a 2-1 lead on Tuesday night in an exciting NL Division Series.

The Padres were one win away from eliminating the Dodgers in the NLDS for the second time in three seasons. Game 4 takes place Wednesday night at Petco Park, where a record-breaking crowd of 47,744 spectators gathered, waving towels.

Fans cheered as Robert Suarez struck out Gavin Lux on a full-count pitch and completed a four-out save.

Tatis said he feeds off the energy of the crowd.

“I feel like I’m taking it to another level; my mindset, my body. “Everything is going through the roof,” Tatis said.

“He likes it,” manager Mike Shildt said. “He is one of the many people on our team who appreciates, enjoys and embraces bright light. He just wants to play and perform.”

Tatis' impressive home run gave the Padres a 6-1 lead, but Teoscar Hernández achieved a Grand Slam with one out in the third against Michael King, which brought the Dodgers within one run.

Mookie Betts also hit a home run for the Dodgers, overcoming an 0-for-22 loss in the playoffs. but was apparently thinking about the left fielder Jurickson Profar had robbed him, as he had done Sunday night in the Padres' 10-2 win at Dodger Stadium, as tempers ran high on the field and in the stands. Betts turned first and headed toward the dugout before teammates and even King indicated it was a home run.

Tatis' shot to left field was his third of the series, falling just one shy of the NLDS record held by Carlos Beltran (2004, Houston) and Nick Castellanos (2023, Philadelphia). Tatis had two of San Diego's six home runs on Sunday night. The flamboyant Tatis stood for a few seconds watching the ball sail out of the yard, tossing his bat around and pointing toward the dugout before beginning his trot.

“When I hit him I just passed out and started screaming at my dugout. “Energy through the roof,” said the Dominican with the dreadlocks.

“I made a bad 0-2 pitch and he does what he does,” losing pitcher Walker Buehler said.

In five playoff games, Tatis is 10 for 18 (.556) with a 1.969 OPS, four home runs and no strikeouts.

King picked up his second win in as many playoff starts after allowing five runs and five hits, three strikeouts and a walk in five innings. In the opening game of the Wild Card Series against Atlanta, he achieved a tour de force performance when he became the first pitcher in history to record 12 strikeouts with no runs and no walks in his postseason debut in San Diego's 4-0 victory.

The Dodgers are on the verge of losing in the NLDS for the third straight season.

“I like how we fought after coming back from that six-run inning,” Freddie Freeman said. “I know Dodgers fans don't want to hear about fighting and stuff, but I think the positive is Mookie got some hits today and things are looking good.”

Betts gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead after some confusion in the first.

He threw a fly ball into the left field corner with one out in the first inning, almost the same distance as he did Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, when Profar jumped and reached into the crowd to catch the ball. After Profar landed, he trolled fans by staring at them and jumping up and down several times before throwing the ball into the infield.

Profar jumped again Tuesday night but couldn't retrieve it and the ball flew off his glove and into the crowd. Betts turned first and turned toward the dugout before arriving second. Betts' teammates in the dugout, including Max Muncy, motioned for him to go ahead, and King gestured with his right arm that it was fair.

Betts resumed his run after his first playoff hit since Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS against San Diego, which the Padres won in four games.

San Diego's second-inning breakout came against Buehler, who was making his first playoff start since Game 6 of the NLCS against Atlanta. Buehler missed the 2023 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery in August 2022.

The first five Padres batters reached and scored. Xander Bogaerts drove in a run on a fielder's choice and David Peralta hit a two-run double. Kyle Higashioka hit a sacrifice fly two batters before Tatis hit a home run with two outs.

Manny Machado hit a leadoff single to reach third after first baseman Freeman caught Jackson Merrill's grounder and hit Machado in the left shoulder while throwing from his knee to second.

Buehler also went five innings and allowed six runs and seven hits with no strikeouts and one walk.

“You can’t give up six runs in an inning in the playoffs and expect to win,” Buehler said. “I put us in a really bad position and we fought back, but the position was too big.”

The Dodgers opened the third by loading the bases with consecutive singles by Miguel Rojas, Ohtani and Betts before Hernández blasted a towering shot straight up the middle.

Ohtani went 1 for 4 and struck out twice. He hit a three-run home run in the Dodgers' first win in Game 1, but played no role in the two losses, going 1 for 8 and fanning four times.

TRAINER ROOM

Dodgers: SS Miguel Rojas came out of the game in the top of the third period. … Freeman was back in the lineup after exiting Sunday night after five innings with discomfort in his sprained right ankle. He was lifted for a pinch-runner after hobbling to first on a single in the eighth inning.

NEXT

Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers would host a bullpen game Wednesday night. The Padres will start RHP Dylan Cease on short rest.

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