'They were better today': Padres look to rebound after narrow Game 1 loss

LOS ANGELES -- The Padres are right back where they’ve spent the past six months: Trying to reel in the Dodgers.

Hey, they’ve done it before.

Game 1 of this highly anticipated National League Division Series went to Los Angeles on Saturday. The two rivals staged a slugfest deep into the Southern California night. But the Dodgers' offense proved too much, coming back from two early deficits as the Padres dropped the series opener, 7-5.

“They were better today,” said Fernando Tatis Jr., who went 2-for-4 with a walk, as he continued his torrid 2024 postseason. “We couldn't close the door. ... Show up tomorrow and win -- simple as that.”

Indeed, the Padres must punch back -- and quickly. A Game 1 loss at Dodger Stadium is not disqualifying. If any team should know that, it's this one. Two seasons ago, San Diego also dropped Game 1 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Those Padres won Game 2, en route to a four-game NLDS victory.

“We've just got to go out there and try to win tomorrow,” said Manny Machado, who launched a two-run, first-inning homer to give the Padres an early lead. “We've been having that mindset all year. We'll put this one behind us, and come back tomorrow and compete. Twenty-seven outs tomorrow.”

Those 27 outs will be critical. In Division Series play with the current 2-2-1 format (excluding the 2020 series played at neutral sites), there have been 44 previous instances of teams splitting the first two games. In those 44 series, the club heading home for Games 3 and 4 advanced 29 times (66%).

Translation: If the Padres can earn a split, they'll hold an unseen edge coming back to San Diego.

But first, they need to find a way to solve this Dodgers offense.

Dylan Cease couldn’t do that on Saturday night. He surrendered five runs across 3 1/3 innings in which he allowed six hits, two walks and Shohei Ohtani’s game-tying three-run homer in the second.

“I just didn't execute well, and I never found a rhythm,” Cease said. “I've got a couple days to prep, and hopefully another shot. But it's definitely disappointing. … It's definitely got to be better.”

The Padres grabbed an early three-run lead, courtesy of Machado’s homer -- which quieted the Dodger Stadium crowd and moved him past Tony Gwynn for the franchise postseason RBI lead. But Ohtani woke that crowd up an inning later when Cease left a 2-1 fastball at the top of the strike zone. Ohtani turned on it and launched it to the right-field seats.

Afterward, Cease didn’t seem to lament the pitch too much. He merely tipped his cap to Ohtani, saying, “Obviously, he’s a great hitter.”

Cease was more perturbed with his handling of the fourth inning. After Ohtani’s homer, the Padres grabbed the lead right back on Xander Bogaerts’ two-run double. Cease had thrown 72 pitches through a laborious first three innings. But he held a two-run lead and would face the bottom of the Dodgers' order.

Cease recorded the first out, then surrendered singles to Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers’ 8 and 9 hitters.

“That kind of killed me right there,” Cease said.

His night was done, and the Padres handed the ball to Adrian Morejon, who allowed a broken-bat single to Ohtani to load the bases, then a wild pitch that plated the Dodgers’ fourth run. With first base now open, Padres manager Mike Shildt made the rare decision to intentionally walk Betts -- despite his having two strikes.

It loaded the bases again and nearly worked. First baseman Donovan Solano got the second out on a close play at the plate, before Morejon gave way to righty Jeremiah Estrada. Teoscar Hernández gave the Dodgers the lead with a two-run single to center -- inches from the outstretched glove of Jackson Merrill.

“Tough play, but you’ve got to play the game [situation],” Merrill said. “We were up one at that point, bases loaded. I’d rather not dive for a ball, let it go past me and let the bases clear.”

The Dodgers had their first lead of the night and wouldn’t relinquish it, despite the Padres putting the tying runs on base in both the eighth and ninth innings. Machado struck out against a tiring Blake Treinen (who recorded a five-out save) to end the game -- another Padres-Dodgers thriller.

“It's been like that all year,” Machado said. “No surprise. Back-and-forth battle all year. It continued into today. … We've just got to keep doing what we're doing, move on to tomorrow.”