CHICAGO (Interstat) — In a tightly contested playoff opener defined by dominant pitching and a decisive fifth-inning power surge, the Chicago Cubs defeated the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Tuesday afternoon at a sold-out Wrigley Field.

A crowd of 39,114 watched as the Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series. The game, which lasted 2 hours and 25 minutes, was a stark contrast to the high-scoring affair projected by pregame simulations.

The Padres struck first in the second inning against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Jackson Merrill led off with a double and scored when Xander Bogaerts followed with a line-drive double to center field. Bogaerts advanced to third on a throwing error by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, but Boyd limited the damage by retiring the next three San Diego batters, holding the score to 1-0.

That lone run was all the Padres would muster against a relentless Chicago bullpen. Boyd exited after 4 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits. The Cubs’ relief corps of Daniel Palencia, Andrew Kittredge, Drew Pomeranz and Brad Keller combined for 4 2/3 perfect innings, retiring all 14 batters they faced.

The game turned dramatically in the bottom of the fifth. San Diego starter Nick Pivetta, who had been sharp with nine strikeouts through four innings, surrendered back-to-back home runs to Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

Pivetta, who took the loss, was pulled after the fifth, having allowed two earned runs on three hits.

Chicago added a crucial insurance run in the eighth. Dansby Swanson singled, was sacrificed to second and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Nico Hoerner.

Palencia earned the win for the Cubs, while Keller recorded his fourth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.

The Padres, who entered the playoffs having won eight of their last ten games, managed only four hits total and saw their offense silenced after the second inning. The Cubs improved to 93-70, while the Padres fell to 90-73.

The two teams will meet again for Game 2 on Wednesday in Chicago.