MLB roundup: Padres edge Dodgers, Mets on the brink after beating Phillies

The San Diego Padres pushed the illustrious Los Angeles Dodgers to the edge of postseason elimination with a thrilling 6-5 victory in a dramatic Major League Baseball playoff encounter on Tuesday.

The electrifying atmosphere at Petco Park witnessed the Dodgers seize an early advantage, courtesy of a solo home run by Mookie Betts in the first inning. However, the Padres capitalized on several fielding errors by the Dodgers, unleashing a six-run barrage in the second inning.

Despite the setback in the second inning, the Dodgers fought back, narrowing the deficit to one run after Teoscar Hernandez launched a towering grand slam off Padres starter Michael King, bringing the score to 6-5 in the top of the third.

Following this initial flurry of runs, the Padres' pitching staff took control, securing the victory and positioning themselves to potentially clinch the best-of-five National League Division Series in game four on Wednesday.

The Padres, who had previously overwhelmed the Dodgers 10-2 in a heated game two on Sunday, once again demonstrated their offensive prowess early in the match.

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s two-run home run off Walker Buehler capped off a disastrous second inning for the Dodgers, who failed to capitalize on early outs due to fielding errors by Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas.

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who had been the hero in his team's game one triumph, struggled against the Padres' pitching, managing only one hit in four at-bats.

"Just amazing. What can I say? It's a beautiful time to be here," expressed an exuberant Tatis following the victory.

"We've still got a lot of work to do, so it's one step at a time. We're showing up - we're going hard from the first pitch, and that's the energy that we need."

In another playoff matchup on Tuesday, the New York Mets, led by Pete Alonso's offensive prowess and a stellar performance from Sean Manaea, took a 2-1 series lead against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 7-2 victory at Citi Field.

Alonso initiated the scoring with a home run in the second inning, while Manaea effectively silenced the Phillies' bats over seven scoreless innings.

The outcome indicates that New York, which secured third place in the regular season behind Philadelphia and Atlanta, has the opportunity to secure an unexpected berth in the National League Championship Series with a victory in game four on Wednesday.

Philadelphia had regained the series momentum with an exhilarating win in game two on Sunday, following a surprising defeat in game one the previous day.

However, the Mets reasserted their dominance in a decisive manner on Tuesday, marked by Manaea's first playoff victory.

This win was particularly gratifying for Manaea, who had endured a challenging playoff outing in 2022, where he allowed five runs in under two innings against the Phillies.

With Manaea performing exceptionally well, the Mets' offense capitalized on the struggles of Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola.

Alonso initiated the scoring with a 385-foot home run to right field in the second inning, followed by Jesse Winker, who extended the lead with another homer in the fourth, bringing the score to 2-0.

Nola was removed from the game after issuing two walks that loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Reliever Orion Kerkering attempted to halt the Mets' momentum but allowed a two-out single to Starling Marte, enabling Alonso and Brandon Nimmo to score, increasing the lead to 4-0.

The Mets added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, as Jose Iglesias singled to bring in Harrison Baden and Nimmo, elevating the score to 6-0.

Philadelphia finally managed to score in the eighth inning with singles from Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, but the Mets responded by extending their lead before closer Ryne Stanek secured the victory.