ALEX VESIA

Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 to advance to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 1998.

"The expectation is that Craig is gonna come in and take the ninth," Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said at the time. Six months and 111 team wins later, the Dodgers embarked on their 10th straight postseason run without Kimbrel on the division series roster. Rather, “it hasn't been a consistent year for him,” as manager Dave Roberts said before Game 1 against the San Diego Padres. When it comes to the ninth, or the eighth, or the seventh, the Dodgers have options and they’re not afraid to use them. As for what that looked like in Game 1 against the Padres, “I loved it,” Roberts said.

The win by the NL West champion Dodgers kept the Padres' magic number at four for clinching a wild-card berth in a full season for the first time since 2006. It also put the Dodgers in position to win their ninth straight series against the Padres since June 2021. The teams went to extra innings for the second straight night. Alex Vesia (5-0), who grew up in the San Diego area, pitched the ninth for the win. They beat St. Louis in a wild-card series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being swept in the division series by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.

Freddie Freeman singled in Mookie Betts with one out in the 10th inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 1-0 to set the franchise single-season record with their 107th win.

James Outman homered on the first swing of his first big-league at-bat and finished with three hits and three RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-3 and closed out July with 21 victories.

Mookie Betts broke an eighth-inning tie with a three-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 9-6 after blowing a five-run lead in the seventh.

Clayton Kershaw has thrown seven perfect innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Los Angeles Angels.

Tony Gonsolin pitched seven strong innings for his 11th victory in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have opened their annual rivalry series against the San Francisco Giants with a 3-1 victory.

Clayton Kershaw took a perfect game through seven innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his season debut before being pulled.

Chris Taylor hit three homers and drove in six runs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Atlanta 11-2, cutting the Braves' lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.

Dodgers Cardinals Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers' Albert Pujols tips his tap to cheering fans as he steps up to bat during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson)ST. LOUIS — (AP) — Albert Pujols rewarded an adoring crowd by hitting a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers toward a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. St. Louis has lost five of six. A star slugger who led the Cardinals to a pair of World Series championships, the 41-year-old Pujols made his second appearance at Busch Stadium after playing for St. Louis from 2001-2011. Tyler O’Neill had three hits for St. Louis, which came into play chasing San Diego for the second NL wild-card spot.

Albert Pujols rewarded an adoring crowd by hitting a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers toward a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Corey Seager and Max Muncy homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0.

Will Smith hit a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, Albert Pujols slugged a two-run shot, his first for the Dodgers, and Los Angeles defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2.