This story was originally published by Dead Spin
More drama awaits for the top two teams in the National League West when they meet Wednesday after the San Diego Padres took a wild 4-2 road victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener.
The Padres (91-66) clinched a playoff spot on a game-ending triple play Tuesday, four days after the Dodgers (93-64) sealed a postseason berth with three home runs and 10 RBIs from Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers were in the midst of a ninth-inning rally Tuesday with a run in and runners on first and second with Ohtani on deck. But a Miguel Rojas ground ball to third base went around the horn from Manny Machado to Jake Cronenworth to Donovan Solano to end the game.
The play kicked off a champagne celebration in the locker room as San Diego secured its eighth playoff appearance all-time and third since 2020.
“We’re not done,” Machado said on San Diego’s 93.7-FM. “We’re not gonna stop. We’re gonna celebrate tonight and then it’s back to competing tomorrow.”
Said Cronenworth: “It’s a little added pressure but I think this group is ready and we’ve done it all season.”
The Padres are 8-3 against the Dodgers this season and own the tiebreaker if the teams finish tied at the end of the regular season Sunday. The Dodgers enter Wednesday’s contest with a two-game division lead. Both teams have clinched playoff berths.
On Tuesday, the Padres received a home run and three RBIs from Cronenworth, who also came through as the pivot man for the defensive gem that ended the game. It was the first RBIs in 19 September games for Cronenworth.
San Diego improved to an MLB-best 41-17 since the All-Star break.
Ohtani was named NL Player of the Week after he hit six home runs and added seven stolen bases and 17 RBIs over the Dodgers’ previous seven games. But he was limited to a double and a walk in four trips to the plate Tuesday and only scored a run because of a Xander Bogaerts throwing error.
After Rojas showed bunt in the ninth inning on the first pitch he saw from right-hander Robert Suarez, he hit into a triple play, the Padres’ first since 2010.
“I felt like I had an opportunity to get a bunt down early and I couldn’t get the job done there,” Rojas said. “The way they were playing defense, I think it made sense for me to swing the bat there. … It’s been tough for me the last couple of days. I haven’t been able to get the job done and I think I let the team down on that one.”
Each team will send its likely No. 1 playoff starter to the mound Wednesday when the Padres put Dylan Cease (14-11, 3.42 ERA) up against fellow right-hander Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.10) of the Dodgers.
Cease has been dominant in consecutive scoreless outings, including 10 strikeouts Sept. 13 in a 5-0 win against the San Francisco Giants. He is 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA in three lifetime starts against Los Angeles.
Flaherty has given up a combined seven runs over his past two starts but earned the win Thursday at Miami. He is 6-2 with a 3.40 ERA in nine starts since his trade from the Detroit Tigers and is 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA in five lifetime starts against the Padres.
–Field Level Media
