'No fear:' Padres push Dodgers to brink of elimination after NLDS Game 3 win

SAN DIEGO − Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are the Batman and Robin of the San Diego Padres.

They have absurd talents, with Tatis hitting a two-run home run in the Padres’ zany 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night in Game 3 of National League Division Series, sending the sellout crowd of 47,774 into utter hysterics.

“Man, when I hit it, I don't know, I just blacked out,’’ Tatis said. “I started screaming at my dugout, just the energy through the roof.’’

The two annoy the daylights out of the opposition.

“That is kind of part of their game,’’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “trying to get under your skin and trying to have the emotion come out.’’

And as Machado demonstrated with a brilliant baserunning maneuver that was perfectly legal, leaving the Dodgers befuddled, they can leave the opposition exasperated with their intellect.

“That's the highest IQ in baseball,’’ Tatis said of Machado. “When you see plays like that, and you know right away what you need to do, especially in games like that, that's why Manny's Manny."

The dynamic duo went to work in the second inning after Mookie Betts hit a first-inning homer.

Machado, the man the Dodgers and their fans love to hate, led off the second inning with a sharp single to center. It looked like it would be wasted when rookie Jackson Merrill hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Freeman snared the ball, fell to his knees, and was ready to start a double play.

“I instantly knew what I was going to do,’’ Machado said. “Just knowing the rules. We’ve been practicing that all spring training, and it came up in a big situation.’’

Machado, sensing that Freeman’s throw would be from a difficult angle, made it even harder by veering onto the infield grass instead of running straight to second base.

“I could have run to right field if I wanted to,’’ Machado said. “I knew that I could create any path I wanted running to second once that path is created.

“You just go to know the rules, and you got to know what to do when you have the opportunity.’’

Freeman threw the ball, but with Machado impeding his vision as he threw to shortstop Miguel Rojas at second base, the ball clipped off Machado’s shoulder and bounced harmlessly away from Rojas. Everyone was safe and Freeman was charged with a throwing error.

“You can create your own basepath if you’re not avoiding a tag,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was a heady play.’’

Really, a brilliant play, with Machado knowing the rules as if he were an umpire.

“Really good baseball play by Manny,’’ said Padres manager Mike Shildt, who was visited afterwards by Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, his mentor. “Basically, the baserunner can create his own baseline until there's an actual attempted play on him. So, at that point you can run inside the line just like he did and force a throw to be like it is. You can do it from any base.

“As soon as the fielder has to make an attempt to a play, now the baseline has been established and you can go from there.

The Dodgers suddenly became unglued. Xander Bogaerts hit a sharp grounder to Rojas, but instead of another double play, Rojas ran to second-base only for Merrill to beat him to the bag and his throw to first was too late to catch Bogaerts.

Before the Dodgers knew it, the Padres had a 6-1 lead after Tatis slammed Walker Buehler’s 0-and-2 fastball into the seats.

“This rally wouldn't have started,’’ Tatis said, “if (Machado) hadn't made that play. That's how huge and how big that was for us.’’

Of course, it was Tatis who made the Dodgers pay the ultimate price with his latest heroics and a postseason for the ages.

Tatis is hitting .555 in the first five games of this postseason with four homers, two doubles and seven RBI. His 1.970 OPS is the second-highest by any player in the first five games of a postseason.

“It’s just beautiful, definitely rewarding through everything I've been through, what we’ve been through as a group,’’ said Tatis, who missed 2 ½ months this season with a stress reaction in his right femur, and was suspended for PED use when the Padres were in the postseason in 2022. “When you play baseball like this in the postseason, you get all those memories back. You just feel grateful where you're at.

“I’m just embracing every single moment and definitely not taking it for granted.’’

It may be too early to call him the West Coast version of Mr. October, but he’s certainly on his way.

“Obviously, you get a lot of hitters that lock into October,’’ said Padres starter Michael King, who gave up five runs in five innings, and was the winning pitcher thanks to four shutout innings by the bullpen. “Sometimes it’s a superstar. Sometimes it’s not a superstar. But seeing superstar lock in like he has, it’s really impressive.

“It’s must-see TV.’’

Tatis could be showcasing his postseason splendor for the next few weeks with the way the Padres are playing. They have to beat the Dodgers one more time in this best-of-five series to reach the NLCS for the second time in three years.

The Padres, who have been aggressive with their trades and their style of play all season, aren’t about to stop now. They decided to go with starter Dylan Cease, who they acquired in spring training from the Chicago White Sox, to pitch on short rest Wednesday.

“I feel great, and I’m ready to do this,’’ said Cease, who gave up five earned runs in 3 ⅓ innings in the Padres’ 7-5 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1. “They told me a few days ago they might do this, so I’m prepared. I’m looking forward to it.’’

The Dodgers will utilize their bullpen, opting to save Game 1 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a potential Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, .

“Certainly, not a great situation,’’ Roberts said, “but as far as kind of winning a ballgame (Wednesday), I think we’re in a really good spot.

“I feel good with the length and the quality that we have for a potential Game 5.’’

The Padres will tell you they don’t care who the Dodgers pitch.

They don’t stress about Shohei Ohtani, who has been shut down since his Game 1 homer.

They don’t worry about the difficulty of beating the Dodgers in three consecutive games.

They believe this is their time, and this is the year they win that first World Series in franchise history.

“Definitely no fear,’’ Tatis said. “That's something that you build through the years, getting experience playing against those guys. No fear.

“We're just showing up and playing ball.’’

And winning a whole lot of games in the month of October.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres push Dodgers to brink of elimination after NLDS Game 3 win