Dodgers Called Out by MLB Fans as Fernando Tatís Jr., Padres Take NLDS Lead in Game 3

The San Diego Padres are an uber-talented, confident team that came into the NLDS as one of the hotter groups in baseball, having won 13 of their last 17 contests. They don't need much help to win games these days.

But in the bottom of the second inning on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers provided them with more than a little assistance.

The Padres pushed across six runs in that frame, aided by a Freddie Freeman throwing error and the Dodgers' inability to get out a single baserunner in a double-play attempt. Fernando Tatís Jr. capped off the frame with a two-run blast, providing the Padres with enough offense to pull out a 6-5 win.

Teoscar Hernández did his best to keep the Dodgers in the contest, blasting a grand slam in the top of the fourth.

But the damage was done. Four San Diego relievers combined to lock down the game in the final four innings, giving up just one hit while striking out six, and the Padres survived a one-run classic.

After the game, Dodgers fans and pundits alike pointed to the blunders in the second inning that opened the door for San Diego's offensive outburst:

The Padres now lead the series 2-1 and can eliminate the Dodgers on Wednesday at Petco Park. The stakes couldn't be higher for these Dodgers—the Padres are on the brink of not only eliminating the Dodgers for the second time in the past three years, but also ensuring that the Dodgers will go a third year in a row without winning a playoff series.

That would be nothing less than a massive letdown for a Dodgers team that finished with the best record in baseball (98-64), has the best player in baseball (Shohei Ohtani, who was 1-for-4 on Tuesday with a run and two strikeouts) and one of the highest payrolls in the sport (which would be higher if Ohtani hadn't deferred absurd amounts of money).

To save their season, the Dodgers have to start by doing the little things right. Errors and mental mistakes can lead to massive innings against a loaded lineup like the one these Padres boast, and it was the difference on Tuesday.