LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, clinching their franchise-record third consecutive postseason berth and fifth in seven seasons. The game drew an announced crowd of 53,027 and lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes. San Diego improved to 89-70, while Los Angeles dropped to 97-62. The Padres took the final game of the series after the teams split the first two meetings of the week. San Diego had won 5-1 on Wednesday, and Los Angeles had won 7-0 on Tuesday. The win gave the Padres another late-September surge as they secured their place in the postseason field.

Nick Pivetta was the top star for San Diego. The right-hander worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and no earned runs. He walked one and struck out seven. Pivetta repeatedly pitched out of trouble, especially in the early innings, when the Dodgers put runners in scoring position but could not break through. Mookie Betts doubled in the first inning and later moved to third on a Freddie Freeman groundout, but Teoscar Hernández struck out to end the threat. Pivetta also stranded Betts and Freeman in the fifth after consecutive singles put runners on the corners. He struck out Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy and Andy Pages in the second inning, then later fanned Hernández again to close another scoring chance. His outing continued a strong recent stretch that included wins against Miami and San Francisco.

Tyler Glasnow was nearly as good for Los Angeles, but he took the loss. Glasnow pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and three earned runs. He walked two and struck out 11. For much of the night, Glasnow matched Pivetta zero for zero. He struck out Fernando Tatis Jr., Dustin Harris and Manny Machado in the first inning, then worked around a Tatis walk in the fourth. Glasnow had 11 strikeouts and kept the Padres off the scoreboard until the sixth, when San Diego finally broke through. Even after the Padres scored, Glasnow continued to miss bats and kept the game within reach until the seventh-inning rally.

The Padres opened the scoring in the sixth. Ethan Salas singled on a ground ball to left field, and Tatis followed with a sharp single to right that sent Salas to third. Dustin Harris then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Salas for a 1-0 lead. Glasnow struck out Machado to end the inning, but San Diego had taken the first lead of the night. The run was the first support for Pivetta, who had kept Los Angeles quiet through the first five innings. The Dodgers had chances earlier, including Betts’ double in the first and singles from Betts and Freeman in the fifth, but Pivetta and the San Diego defense held firm.

San Diego added three more runs in the seventh to take control. Jackson Merrill doubled on a sharp line drive to right field, and Xander Bogaerts walked. Austin Hays then singled on a ground ball to shortstop that was deflected by third baseman Max Muncy, allowing Merrill to score. After Samad Taylor struck out, Salas singled to center field to bring home another run. Tatis followed with a sharp single to right field that scored another run and made it 4-0. The three-run burst gave the Padres the cushion they needed and chased Glasnow from the game. Edwin Díaz and Evan Phillips each worked a scoreless inning of relief for Los Angeles, striking out two apiece, but the damage had been done.

The Dodgers bullpen kept the Padres scoreless the rest of the way. Yuki Matsui earned the win with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one. Jason Adam also tossed a scoreless inning. Adrian Morejon worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and one earned run with one walk and two strikeouts. Mason Miller recorded the save, his 38th of the season, though he had to navigate a tense ninth. Miller pitched one inning, allowed one hit and one earned run, and struck out two. A wild pitch allowed Tommy Edman to reach after a strikeout, and Shohei Ohtani doubled him home. Miller then got Betts to ground out to end the game.

Los Angeles finally broke through in the eighth. Betts walked, and Freeman singled to center to put runners on the corners. After Hernández struck out, Kyle Tucker flew out to left field. Miguel Rojas then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Betts and cut the deficit to 4-1. The Dodgers threatened again in the ninth. Edman struck out swinging but reached first on a wild pitch. Ohtani followed with a sharp double to center field that scored Edman and brought Los Angeles within 4-2. Betts grounded out to third baseman Machado to end the rally and the game. The late push made the final innings tense, but San Diego’s bullpen did enough to close it out.

Tatis finished 2-for-3 with one RBI for San Diego. Salas had a key RBI single, and Hays also drove in a run. Ohtani went 2-for-5 with one RBI for Los Angeles. Betts had a double and multiple hits, while Freeman also contributed singles, but the Dodgers could not convert enough of their chances. San Diego finished with six hits, and Los Angeles had seven. The Padres did not hit a home run and relied on timely hitting, walks and a sacrifice fly to produce their four runs. Los Angeles struck out often against San Diego pitching and left runners on base in several innings. Glasnow’s 11 strikeouts kept the Dodgers close, but the offense could not solve Pivetta early or Matsui and Miller late.

The result continued a strong recent run for San Diego. The Padres have won six of their last eight games, including series against Miami and Colorado. They have also played well against Los Angeles this season, though the Dodgers entered the series with the better overall record. San Diego will next host Arizona for a three-game series beginning Friday. Los Angeles will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series starting Friday. The Dodgers remain in strong position in the standings despite the loss, while the Padres have secured their October plans.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Diego Padres 9, Los Angeles Dodgers 8. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Los Angeles with a 58.5 percent probability to win. The Dodgers had been installed as the pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 6 went over the over/under line of 7.5.