LOS ANGELES — Manny Machado started the game-winning triple play and the San Diego Padres clinched a spot in the postseason with a 4-2 victory over the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.
Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run homer to open a winning streak for the Padres, who have clinched at least a National League wild-card berth with five games left in the regular season.
With just two games remaining in the crucial series at Dodger Stadium, the gap with Los Angeles is now just two games.
“It's really important that we get this lead back to three runs,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers got one back in the ninth inning before Miguel Rojas hit a sharp grounder to Machado at third base to put runners on first and second.
The former Dodger player stepped on base and rounded the horn for a triple play to end the game.
“You have to give credit to Manny,” Roberts said. “He played great.”
The Dodgers turned in two double plays early in the game.
San Diego's celebration was delayed when the Dodgers challenged a call of an out at second base, but the call was upheld after a replay review.
“It's shocking,” Roberts said of the outcome. “It's the most unlikely outcome.”
The second-place Padres have won four straight and nine of 10. San Diego holds the tiebreaker with an 8-3 record against Los Angeles.
“We're going to enjoy tonight, enjoy the game and enjoy the celebration,” Machado said, “but the work's not done.”
The magic number for the Dodgers to win the division remains four.
San Diego's four runs came with two outs in front of a crowd of 50,369, lending a playoff atmosphere to the first game of a three-game epic series.
They shouted “MVP! MVP!” at Shohei Ohtani, while mercilessly booing Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
“How much better than having Ohtani step in as a starter in a tough situation and end the game against one of the best teams in baseball with a triple,” Machado said.
Cronenworth hadn't had an RBI until September, when he had three against the Padres' biggest rivals, including his 12th career home run against the Dodgers, and hadn't had an extra-base hit in his previous 50 at-bats.
Padres starter Michael King (13-9) gave up one run and three hits over five innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.
San Diego extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning on a one-run RBI single by Xander Bogaerts and a two-run RBI single by Cronenworth.
In the first inning, the Dodgers scored on a throwing error by shortstop Bogaerts, allowing Ohtani to score, then hit a ground-rule double on the first pitch to score.
It was his 95th extra-base hit of the season, a team record.
Mookie Betts was safe at first base when a routine grounder by Bogaerts went into the Padres dugout and he was able to advance to second.
“We had chances, but the only times we scored were on errors,” Roberts said. “We had runners in scoring position and we just couldn't get a hit.”
Los Angeles rookie starting pitcher Landon Knack (3-5) gave up four runs and five hits in four innings.
He struck out four and walked one.
The right-hander threw just 38 pitches over the first three innings, but his form began to wane in the fourth inning when he was forced to throw 39 pitches.
Knack committed a balk and a wild pitch, and the Padres managed to steal a base in the inning.
In the second inning, Betts struck out swinging for the Dodgers, loading the bases.
