ARLINGTON, Texas _ The San Diego Padres, the upstart club oozing talent and swagger, were supposed to be the tallest obstacle on the path to another trip to the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They were poised to prove they belonged in October and could challenge for the pennant. But they were short-handed, without their two best starting pitchers, for the teams' National League Division Series and the Dodgers showed no mercy.
The Dodgers steamrolled the Padres, completing a three-game sweep with a 12-3 win in Game 3 at Globe Life Field on Thursday to keep their undefeated postseason record intact. They advanced to face the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series. Game 1 is Monday, also at Globe Life Park. Los Angeles, the National League's top seed, will be the home team on a nine-game winning streak.
One of the looming questions for the Dodgers entering this series was: Would they, after leading the majors with 118 home runs during the regular season, struggle to score in this home-run-depressing ballpark? This place plays big. The Dodgers saw firsthand when they visited in late August.
The answer was no. They slugged one homer in the three games but scored 23 runs. They took their walks. They moved runners with singles the other way. They cracked doubles to the gaps. They lifted sacrifice flies, forced errors, and even executed a crucial double-steal in Game 2. They manufactured runs by applying constant pressure. They adjusted their method of offensive destruction.
"That's the name of the game right now," Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager said before Game 3, "putting pressure on people."
On Thursday, the Dodgers collected 14 hits and nine walks against 11 Padres pitchers _ a record for a nine-inning postseason game. They scored runs in five different innings and broke the game open in the third. They tallied five two-out runs in the inning against right-handers Craig Stammen and Luis Patino with four singles, a walk, an intentional walk, a steal, and an error.
Will Smith went 5 for 6 with two doubles and three RBIs, matching a franchise record for hits in a game after going hitless in the series' first two games. Smith is the first Dodger to have five hits in a postseason game.
Joc Pederson collected his first two hits and RBI of the playoffs. AJ Pollock had two hits. Betts smacked his fifth hit in five postseason games.
Game 3 was the Dodgers' first game as the road team since they played in Colorado on Sept. 20. The switch didn't change much from the previous two nights as the "hosts."
They wore their road grays, took batting practice first, and hit in the top of the inning. Former Padres pitcher Randy Jones, the 1976 NL Cy Young Award winner, threw out the first pitch ... at Petco Park. The Padres had a former contestant on "America's Got Talent" pre-record a rendition of the national anthem. A "Slam Diego" hype video was played.
Then the game proceeded with the same teams on the same field with the same few team employees and family members in the stands.
The Dodgers' pitching plan got off to a promising start.
Dustin May, announced as the starter in the morning, walked Fernando Tatis Jr., but, Tatis Jr. overslid second base attempting to steal and was tagged out moments later. May then induced a flyout from Manny Machado to end the inning.
May threw 16 pitches. He didn't throw another one. The Dodgers' script called for May to face the top of the lineup _ Tatis Jr. and Machado entered a combined 5 for 27 against him _ before inserting left-hander Adam Kolarek to face Eric Hosmer, a left-handed hitter, to begin the second inning. Hosmer singled. Then Tommy Pham singled. The plan was crumbling.
Mitch Moreland followed with a groundout. The Dodgers, with first base open, opted to load the bases for Wil Myers with one out. Kolarek was 3-1 against Jake Cronenworth when he threw a sinker that looked like a strike. But it was called a ball and Kolarek walked in a runner.
Jason Castro hit into a fielder's choice before Trent Grisham delivered an infield hit to plate another run and give San Diego a 2-1 lead. That coaxed Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to replace Kolarek with Julio Urias.
Urias, the Dodgers' "bulk" pitcher for the night, stabilized the pre-determined pitching scheme. The left-hander retired the first 10 batters he faced.
The only damage San Diego inflicted came in the sixth inning after Machado singled and Hosmer reached on a two-base error by left fielder Pollock. Machado then scored on a balk.
