Five-run inning propels Padres to NLDS win over Dodgers

Jake Cronenworth capped a five-run Padres seventh with a two-out, two-run tiebreaking single Saturday night as the San Diego Padres rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 -- eliminating the National League West champions from the playoffs. Austin Nola, Ha-Seong Kim and Juan Soto drove in runs earlier in the seventh before Cronenworth lined his single to center off Alex Vesia to put the Padres ahead. The Padres will open the National League Championship Series on Tuesday at home against Philadelphia. Jurickson Profar opened the seventh by drawing a walk from Dodger reliever Tommy Kahnle. Trent Grisham followed with a single, moving Profar to third. Nola then drove in Profar with an infield single off the glove of Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. Yency Almonte followed Kahnle and Kim doubled inside the third base bag, scoring Grisham and moving Nola to third. Soto followed with a line-drive single to right, scoring Nola to tie the game and placing runners at the corners. Almonte then struck out Manny Machado and retired Brandon Drury, keeping the runners at the corner with two outs. After throwing one strike to Cronenworth, Almonte was replaced by the left-handed Vesia to face the left-handed-hitting Cronenworth. On the next pitch, Soto trotted into second on defensive indifference. Cronenworth then lined his two-run single to center. Freddie Freeman broke up a scoreless tie with a two-run double off Joe Musgrove in the third inning and the Dodgers added a third run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Will Smith. Mookie Betts drew a walk from Musgrove with one out in the third. Trea Turned followed with a double to left, putting runners at second and third, and Freeman drove in both with a double down the line to right. Betts drew a walk to open the seventh off Padres reliever Steven Wilson. Turner followed with a single and Wilson hit Freeman with a pitch to load the bases with no one out. But the only run scored on Smith's sac fly to left. Left-handed reliever Tim Hill came on to strike out Max Muncy and get Justin Turner on a grounder to short. After winning a franchise-record 111 games in the regular season and the opener of the NLDS series, the Dodgers lost three straight to the Padres -- who were 5-14 against the Dodgers in the regular season. Left-hander Tyler Anderson started for the Dodgers and gave up two hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five scoreless innings. Musgrove allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in six innings. Hill (1-0) got the win and Josh Hader got his third save of the NLDS -- striking out Betts, Trea Turner and Freeman in the ninth. Almonte (0-1) was charged with the loss. --By Bill Center, Field Level Media