SAN DIEGO — – Fernando Tatis Jr.’s towering two-run home run highlighted a six-run second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to defeat Shohei Ohtani and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 Tuesday night to earn the victory gain a 2-1 lead in an exciting NL Division Series.

The Padres came within one win of eliminating the Dodgers in the NLDS for the second time in three seasons. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park, which was packed with a record 47,744 towel-waving rally towels.

The fans roared as Robert Suarez struck out Gavin Lux on a full-count pitch to complete a four-game save.

Tatis said he feeds off the crowd’s energy.

“I feel like I’m taking it to another level; my way of thinking, my body. Everything is going through the roof,” Tatis said.

“He likes it,” manager Mike Shildt said. “He is one of many guys on our team who appreciates, enjoys and embraces bright light. He just wants to go play and perform.”

Tatis’ impressive home run gave the Padres a 6-1 lead, but Teoscar Hernández hit a grand slam with one out in the third off Michael King, bringing the Dodgers within a run.

Mookie Betts also homered for the Dodgers to break an 0-for-22 playoff slump, but apparently thought left fielder Jurickson Profar had robbed him, just as he did during the Padres’ 10-2 victory on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, as tempers flared on the field and in the stands. Betts rounded first and walked toward the dugout before teammates and even King gestured that it was a homer.

Tatis’ shot into the left-field seats was his third of the series, falling just shy of the NLDS record held by Carlos Beltran (2004, Houston) and Nick Castellanos (2023, Philadelphia). Tatis hit two of San Diego’s six home runs on Sunday night. The flamboyant Tatis stood for a few seconds and watched the ball sail out of the yard, then turned his bat and gestured to the dugout before beginning his trot.

“When I hit it, I blacked out and started yelling at my dugout. Energy through the roof,” said the Dominican with dreadlocks.

“I made a bad 0-2 pitch and he does what he does,” losing pitcher Walker Buehler said.

In five playoff games, Tatis is 10 of 18 (.556) with a 1.969 OPS, four home runs and no strikeouts.

King earned his second win in as many playoff starts after allowing five runs and five hits in five innings, with three strikeouts and one walk. He came off a gem in the opening game of the Wild Card Series against Atlanta, when he became the first pitcher in history to strike out 12 with no runs and no walks in a postseason debut in San Francisco’s 4-0 win Diego.

The Dodgers are on the brink of losing in the NLDS for the third straight season.

“I like how we fought after we came back from that six-run inning,” Freddie Freeman said. “I know Dodgers fans don’t want to hear about fights and stuff, but I think the positive is that Mookie got some hits today and things are looking good.”

Betts gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the first inning after some confusion.

He threw a flyball to the left field corner with one out in the first inning nearly the same distance he did Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, when Profar jumped up and reached into the crowd to make the catch. After Profar landed, he trolled the fans by staring at them and bouncing up and down several times before throwing the ball to the infield.

Profar jumped again on Tuesday evening but couldn’t bring it back as the ball tipped off his glove and into the crowd. Betts went around first and turned to the dugout before finishing second. Betts’ teammates in the dugout, including Max Muncy, motioned for him to continue and King gestured with his right arm that it was fair.

Betts resumed his trot after his first playoff hit since Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS against San Diego, which the Padres won in four games.

San Diego’s second-inning outburst came against Buehler, who was making his first playoff start since Game 6 of the NLCS against Atlanta. Buehler missed the 2023 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery in August 2022.

The first five Padres batters reached base and scored. Xander Bogaerts drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and David Peralta hit a two-run double. Kyle Higashioka hit a two-batter sacrifice fly before Tatis homered with two outs.

Manny Machado hit a leadoff single to end at third base after first baseman Freeman fielded Jackson Merrill’s grounder, hitting Machado on the left shoulder as he threw from his knees to second base.

Buehler also pitched five innings, allowing six runs and seven hits with no strikeouts and one walk.

“You can’t give up six runs in one inning in the playoffs and expect to win,” Buehler said. “I put us in a really bad spot and we fought back, but the spot was too big.”

The Dodgers opened the third by loading the bases on consecutive singles by Miguel Rojas, Ohtani and Betts before Hernández immediately hit a towering shot to center.

Ohtani went 1 for 4 and struckout twice. He hit a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory but played no role in the two losses, going 1 for 8 and fanning four.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: SS Miguel Rojas came out of the game in the top of the third inning. … Freeman was back in the lineup after coming out Sunday night after five innings with discomfort in his sprained right ankle. He was called in for a pinch-runner after limping to first base on a single in the eighth inning.

NEXT

Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers will have a bullpen game on Wednesday night. The Padres will start RHP Dylan Cease on short rest.

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