LA final score: Dodgers leave seven on base, lose to the Padres 4-2

The Dodgers opened their final home series of the season against their division rival San Diego Padres on Tuesday, losing the first game of a must-win series by a final score of 4-1.

For rookie Landon Knack, it was his 12th start of the season against Michael King, and through Tuesday he had an ERA and strikeout total among the top 10 in all of baseball.

After a quick first-inning shutout that took San Diego's best out of the game, Shohei Ohtani punished King's first pitch of the game down the right field line and bounced over the wall, resulting in an automatic leadoff double. His 95th extra-base hit broke another Dodger record as he passed Babe Herman for the most extra-base hits in a single season in franchise history.

Mookie Betts then brought Ohtani home after his former teammate and World Series winner Xander Bogaerts made a throwing error while attempting to catch Betts at first base, giving the Dodgers the early lead.

Before Tuesday's game, Jake Cronenworth had zero RBIs in September. After a base hit by Jackson Merrill, Cronenworth scored his first two runs batted in of the month with a two-run home run that gave San Diego a one-run lead.

The Dodgers had a prime opportunity to strike back in the bottom of the second inning when Will Smith, Miguel Rojas and Ohtani got on base against King, loaded the bases with two bases removed and the tying run just 90 feet away. The chance was wasted when Mookie Betts chased a sweeper out of the end.

King averaged 21 pitches per inning in his first three innings of the night, while Knack needed just 38 pitches for the same number of innings. The fourth inning was the end for the Dodger rookie, as he allowed an RBI single from Bogaerts and an RBI double from Cronenworth, extending San Diego's lead to three. Knack exceeded his pitch total from the previous three innings, needing 39 pitches to get through the fourth inning, promptly ending his night after four innings.

22-year-old right-handed pitcher Edgardo Henríquez made his major league debut when he came on as a substitute in the seventh inning and impressed in his only inning, allowing only a single by Kyle Higashioka and ending the inning with a 101 mph strikeout pitch by Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Dodgers attempted to repeat their success against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday when they staged a comeback and secured a walk-off victory. Will Smith opened the inning with a single, Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández followed, cutting the deficit to two runs. In a surprising turn of events, the Padres got the decisive run at the plate in the form of Miguel Rojas on a 5-4-3 triple play that ended the game, cutting the division lead to two games and officially securing a postseason berth for the second time in the last three seasons.

Game details

• Home runs: Jake Cronenworth (17)
• WP — Michael King (13-9): 5 IP, 3 hits, 1 run (0 earned runs), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
• LP — Landon Knack (3-5): 4 IP, 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
• SV — Robert Suarez (35): 1 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

Next

The Dodgers are back home on Wednesday for the second of their three-game series against San Diego (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Jack Flaherty starts for the Dodgers, while top hitter Dylan Cease starts for the Padres.