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    • Padres push Dodgers to brink of elimination after victory in NLDS Game 3
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    Padres push Dodgers to brink of elimination after victory in NLDS Game 3

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    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’ crazy 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, sending the sold-out crowd of 47,774 into total hysteria .

    “Man, when I hit him, I don’t know, I just blacked out,” Tatis said. “I started yelling at my dugout, the energy was through the roof.”

    The two are irritating the daylights out of the opposition.

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

    And as Machado demonstrated with a brilliant baserunning maneuver that was completely legal that left the Dodgers flummoxed, they can leave the opposition irritated with their intellect.

    “That’s the highest IQ in baseball,” Tatis said of Machado. “When you see matches like that and you immediately know what to do, especially in matches like that, Manny’s Manny.”

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

    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 for naught when rookie Jackson Merrill hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Freeman snapped the ball, fell to his knees and was ready to start a double play.

    “I knew right away what I was going to do,” Machado said. “Just know the rules. We practiced that all spring training, and a big situation came out of that.”

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

    “I could have run to right field if I wanted to,” Machado said. “I knew I could create any path I wanted to follow, once that path was created.

    “You just have to learn the rules, and you have to know what to do when you have the chance.”

    Freeman threw the ball, but because Machado obstructed his view 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 base path if you don’t avoid a tag,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was a turbulent game.”

    A truly brilliant game, with Machado knowing the rules as if he were a referee.

    “Really good baseball play from Manny,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt, who was then visited by Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, his mentor. “Basically the baserunner can create his own baseline until an action is actually attempted on him. So at that point you can run inside the line like he does and force a throw like he is. You can do it from any base.

    “Once the fielder has to attempt a play, the baseline is established and you can go from there.

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

    Before the Dodgers knew it, the Padres had a 6-1 lead after Tatis hit 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 big and how big it was for us.”

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

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

    “It’s just beautiful, it’s definitely a reward for everything I’ve been through, what we’ve been through as a group,” said Tatis, who missed two and a half months this season with a stress reaction in his right thigh and was suspended. PED use when the Padres were in the postseason in 2022. “Playing baseball like that in the postseason brings back all those memories. You just feel grateful where you are.

    “I embrace every moment and certainly don’t take it for granted.”

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

    “Obviously you’re going to face a lot of hitters in 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 it’s really impressive to see the superstar the way he has done.

    “This is must-see TV.”

    Tatis could show his postseason pomp in the coming weeks with the way the Padres are playing. They need 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, have no plans to stop now. They decided to pitch on short rest on Wednesday, along with starter Dylan Cease, whom they acquired from the Chicago White Sox in spring training.

    “I feel great, and I’m ready,” 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 use 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 winning a ball game (Wednesday), I think we’re in a really good spot.

    “I feel good about the length and quality we have for a potential Game 5.”

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

    They aren’t worried about Shohei Ohtani, who has been out since his Game 1 homer.

    They aren’t concerned about the difficulty of beating the Dodgers in three straight games.

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

    “Absolutely no fear,” Tatis said. “That’s something you build up over the years, gaining experience playing against those guys. No fear.

    “We just show up and play ball.”

    And win a lot of competitions in the month of October.

    Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

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