Tatis, Padres have to wait till next year as Dodgers sweep

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. bent backward from his knees and stared skyward after his wild throw became San Diego's playoff-high fifth error and gave the Los Angeles Dodgers the tying run.

The 21-year-old budding superstar and the rest of the Padres will have to wait at least another year for the club's first trip past the National League Division Series since 1998.

Tatis' throwing error from his knees after a diving stop on an infield single by Corey Seager came early in a five-run third inning that propelled the Dodgers to a 12-3 victory Thursday night and a sweep of the neutral-site best-of-five NLDS.

No matter how many pitchers the Padres threw at their NL West rivals — 11 in a postseason record for a game of any length — they never really were in the series except for one bases-loaded chance for Slam Diego at the end of Game 2.

The Padres couldn't add to their majors-leading seven grand slams from the regular season, although Jake Cronenworth's walk and Trent Grisham's infield single with the bases loaded gave the Padres a brief 2-1 lead in the second.

Tatis, whose drive at the home of the Rangers in August started San Diego's record run of four straight games with a grand slam, ended the second with a bases-loaded strikeout against winner Julio Urías.

The next time the rookie phenom came up, Urias had retired eight more in a row while LA built an 8-2 lead. Tatis grounded weakly to third base and finished the series 2 of 11.

Tatis, Wil Myers and Manny Machado combined for five homers in an 11-9 victory that turned the wild-card series against St. Louis in Game 2 and helped the Padres to their first postseason series victory since they went to the 1998 World Series.

But the trio went deep just once in the NLDS. The solo shot by Machado in...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Tatis-Padres-have-to-wait-till-next-year-as-15632989.php