Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres NLDS Game 3 live: Scores, updates, highlights, for MLB Playoffs 2024

After getting an out in the eighth, Robert Suárez retired the side in order in the ninth to secure a 6-5 victory over the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS.

Bringing 100 mph heat, Suárez struck out Max Muncy to start the ninth before whiffing Gavin Lux to end it.

The Padres scored all six of their runs in the second inning, including a two-run double by David Peralta and a two-run homer off the bat of the red-hot Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Dodgers got themselves right back in it in the third inning courtesy of Teoscar Hernandez’s grand slam, but their bats were shut down from there. Between Michael King, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott, and Robert Suarez, the Padres retired 20 out of the final 21 batters they faced.

And now, the Padres are just one win away from the NLCS. Game 4 of the NLDS is set for Wednesday night at 9:08 p.m. ET.

PETCO Park has been an electric atmosphere in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday. Adding to the festivities in the late innings was Tom DeLonge of blink-182 leading a singalong of “All The Small Things.”

This is fun. What’s not so fun is that the Dodgers are down to their final three outs.

Tanner Scott is Shohei Ohtani’s kryptonite, apparently.

Scott struck out Ohtani in Game 1 on Saturday and again in Game 2 on Sunday. Any guesses what he did tonight? Yes, he struck out Ohtani yet again.

Freddie Freeman reached on a two-out single in the eighth before Scott was replaced by Robert Suárez. The Padres’ closer managed to get Teoscar Hernández on a pop up to strand the tying run. To the bottom of the eighth we go.

The Dodgers got right back in the game with Teoscar Hernández’s grand slam in the third inning, but their bats have been silent ever since.

Michael King bounced back with back-to-back scoreless frames to finish his night. Jeremiah Estrada struck out two of the three batters he faced in the sixth before Jason Adam delivered a 1-2-3 inning of his own (including one strikeout) in the seventh.

Nothing is going to come easy for San Diego, as the lineup is about to turn over for Los Angeles, but the Dodgers are running out of chances.

When Walker Buehler gave up six runs in the second inning, it didn’t appear that he would be long for this game. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts ended up sticking with him a lot longer than most of us would have anticipated.

Buehler faced the minimum through the third and fourth innings before retiring the first two batters he faced in the fifth. After Manny Machado singled to left with two outs, Roberts emerged from the Dodgers’ dugout, seemingly to take Buehler out of the game. Surprisingly, it didn’t happen. Buehler would go on to intentionally walk Jackson Merrill following a wild pitch, but he got Xander Bogaerts to ground into a fielder’s choice to escape the jam. Talk about walking on the wild side.

It’s still 6-5 Padres going into the sixth inning.

If you thought the Padres were going to cruise in this one, you would be wrong.

Teoscar Hernandez belted a grand slam off Michael King in the top of the third to make it a 6-5 ballgame.

Buckle in, folks. We could be here for a while.

Lost in the Dodgers’ rally is that Miguel Rojas was forced to exit after apparently aggravating his adductor muscle injury. Andy Pages replaced him as a pinch runner and remained in center field to begin the bottom of the third while Tommy Edman moved to shortstop.

Well, the good vibes didn’t last long for the Dodgers, as the Padres just put up a six-spot in the bottom of the second to take a 6-1 lead.

Manny Machado led off the frame with a single through the middle before Jackson Merrill hit a ball to Freddie Freeman at first base. Freeman tried to make a throw from his knees to get the force out at second, but he hit Machado in the back. It proved to be a critical mistake, opening the door for a monster inning.

David Peralta delivered a big blow with a two-run double down the right field line before Fernando Tatis Jr. added an exclamation point with a two-run homer. PETCO Park is a party right now.

As encouraging as it was to see Mookie Betts homer in the top of the first, Walker Buehler delivering a scoreless opening frame might be the best news for Dodgers fans so far.

Buehler needed just 12 pitches to get through the first inning and topped out at 96 mph with his fastball. Oh, and he also got a little help from center field Tommy Edman, who snagged this liner from Luis Arraez.

Could this game begin any other way?

Mookie Betts finally got off the schneid in the first inning of Game 3, as he took Michael King deep for a home run over the left field fence.

Jurickson Profar once again had a chance to rob Betts; in fact, it appeared that Betts thought Profar took one away from him again like he did in Game 2 on Sunday. However, this time the ball bounced off the glove of an outstretched Profar and into the seats.

It’s 1-0 Dodgers as the Padres come to the plate in the bottom of the first inning.

Padres third baseman Manny Machado threw a ball near the Dodgers dugout during a heated Game 2 on Sunday. Dodgers managed Dave Roberts said after the game that it was “unsettling” conduct by Machado.

While the throw from Machado was out of the ordinary, subsequent video of the throw showed that nobody was in danger. Nonetheless, it has been another log on the fire in this rivalry.

It should be no surprise that he was greeted rudely during introductions at PETCO Park just a short while ago.

In the other NLDS matchup, the Mets just defeated the Phillies 7-2 behind a brilliant performance from left-hander Sean Manaea.

Manaea was charged with just one run over seven-plus innings while striking out six and walking just two. He blanked the Phillies for the first seven innings before walking the leadoff batter in the eighth.

Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker each hit solo homers off Aaron Nola early in the game before some key two-out hits extended the lead.

The Mets are now just one win away from the NLCS. The improbable run continues.

Jose Quintana will pitch for New York in Game 4 on Wednesday while All-Star Cristopher Sánchez will try to keep the Phillies’ season alive. First pitch at Citi Field will be at 5:08 p.m. ET.

• Moneyline: San Diego Padres (-150), Los Angeles Dodgers (+125)
• Spread: Padres -1.5 (+145), Dodgers +1.5 (-175)
• Total: 7.5

Dodgers: Won National League West at 98-64 and clinched first-round bye; owns home-field advantage by virtue of best record in MLB

Padres: Secured No. 1 Wild Card spot with 93-69 record; swept Braves 2-0 in Wild Card round

NLDS Game 1: Dodgers win 7-5

The Padres and Dodgers traded blows in Game 1 on Saturday. In his first ever postseason game, Shohei Ohtani slugged a game-tying three-run homer in the second inning. The Dodgers would go ahead for good when Teoscar Hernández plated two runs with a single in the fourth inning. After Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up five runs over three innings, the bullpen (Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, and Blake Treinen) combined for six scoreless frames.

NLDS Game 2: Padres win 10-2

It was a tense atmosphere at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night as Yu Darvish spun seven innings of one-run ball and the Padres slugged six home runs. Fernando Tatis Jr. launched two of them while also adding a double. Play stopped in the seventh inning when fans threw baseballs in the direction of Jurickson Profar. Profar did a bit of a fakeout after making a home run-robbing catch earlier in the game, which was apparently enough to draw the ire of the fans throughout the night. There was also some bickering between Padres third baseman Manny Machado and Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty, as well as some controversy from Machado throwing a baseball in the direction of the Dodgers’ dugout. The rivalry is very much real.

Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler

Buehler has plenty of postseason experience to his name, consisting of 15 starts and a 2.94 ERA, but this is a different pitcher than the one who dominated during the Dodgers’ World Series run in 2020. After a long rehab from Tommy John surgery, he posted a 5.38 ERA over 16 starts this season. The results were somewhat better after missing two months with a hip injury, but his command has been an issue all year, as evidenced by the 16 homers and 28 walks he allowed in 75 1/3 innings. As the series shifts to San Diego, the Dodgers need a vintage performance in the worst way.

Buehler hasn’t pitched since September 26, when he allowed one run over five innings against these very same Padres. It was an efficient performance, though he struck out just one of the 20 batters he faced and induced just three swinging strikes in his 71 pitches.

Padres: RHP Michael King

Acquired as part of the Juan Soto trade with the Yankees last offseason, King has evolved into the role of an ace for the Padres. After reeling off a 2.04 ERA over his final 14 starts during the regular season, King kept the dominance going in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Braves with 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. In doing so, he became the first pitcher in MLB history to rack up 12 strikeouts without giving up a run or a walk in his first career postseason start.

King made four appearances (three starts) against the Dodgers this season while posting a 3.10 ERA and 23/10 K/BB ratio in 20 1/3 innings. He had a pair of shaky outings against L.A. in the early part of the season (including a relief appearance during the Seoul Series), but he didn’t give up an earned run over 12 innings in his next two matchups against them.

• The big development for the Dodgers is that Freddie Freeman is in the lineup after making an early exit in Game 2 on Sunday with continued discomfort in his right ankle.
• Mookie Betts is in a bit of a postseason slump. He’s hitless in his last 22 at-bats dating back to Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS. He’ll look to change that tonight.
• Another note for the Dodgers is that right-hander Michael Grove has been removed from the roster due to injury; As a result, the Dodgers have added right-hander Ben Casparius to their bullpen. Due to the change, Grove will be ineligible for the NLCS should the Dodgers advance.

• Xander Bogaerts is in the lineup after he exited Game 2 with hamstring cramping.
• The only change for the Padres from Game 2 is that David Peralta and Jake Cronenworth have been flip-flopped, with Peralta moving up a spot.