The Dodgers moved within one victory of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday, while the Padres found just enough offense—and an unlikely closer—to keep their season alive.
Los Angeles defeated Atlanta 3-1 at Truist Park to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five NL Division Series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Chris Sale, holding the Braves to one run on four hits while striking out 10 over seven innings.
The game remained scoreless until the fourth. Andy Pages opened the inning with a single, and Kiké Hernández followed with a two-run homer. Two batters later, former Brave Freddie Freeman added a solo shot to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
Atlanta loaded the bases with one out in the fifth but managed only one run on Drake Baldwin’s groundout. Yamamoto then induced Ronald Acuña Jr. to ground out, ending the Braves’ best opportunity of the night.
Sale allowed three runs over five innings. Tanner Scott handled the eighth for Los Angeles, and Edwin Díaz worked around a leadoff double in the ninth to earn the save.
The Dodgers can clinch the series in Game 4 on Wednesday. Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to start against Atlanta’s Tyler Mahle.
In San Diego, the Padres avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory over the Brewers, cutting Milwaukee’s series lead to 2-1.
Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in the first run with a groundout in the third, and Manny Machado followed with an RBI single. William Contreras homered for Milwaukee in the fourth, and Jackson Chourio’s sacrifice fly tied the game in the fifth.
Jake Cronenworth answered immediately, leading off the bottom of the fifth with a go-ahead home run. Xander Bogaerts supplied what became the winning run in the sixth, scoring from second after Cooper Pratt’s throw on a broken-bat grounder skipped away at first base.
Christian Yelich’s RBI single pulled Milwaukee within one in the seventh, but the Padres turned to Michael King for the final six outs. King had thrown 72 pitches as San Diego’s Game 2 starter only two days earlier, but he volunteered to pitch with closer Mason Miller on the paternity list.
King walked two batters in the ninth before Bogaerts fielded Christian Yelich’s 107-mph liner on a short hop and started a game-ending double play. It was King’s first postseason save.
All three games in the Brewers-Padres series have been decided by one run. Milwaukee can still clinch in Game 4 on Wednesday, while San Diego needs another victory to force the series back to Milwaukee.
Where the Division Series Stand
The White Sox lead the Guardians 2-0 and can complete the sweep Wednesday in Chicago. The Rays also hold a 2-0 lead and can eliminate the Yankees in New York. In the National League, the Dodgers lead the Braves 2-1 and can advance with one more victory, while the Brewers hold a 2-1 advantage over the Padres. Atlanta, Cleveland, New York, and San Diego all face elimination Wednesday.
Wednesday’s postseason schedule:
Guardians at White Sox, 3 p.m. CT—TBS, truTV, and HBO Max
Dodgers at Braves, 5 p.m. CT—FS1
Rays at Yankees, 7 p.m. CT—TBS, truTV, and HBO Max
Brewers at Padres, 9 p.m. CT—FS1
