SAN DIEGO -- There had been so much off-the-field noise in the previous 48 hours -- so much bickering over which baseballs had been thrown in whose direction and how hard -- that Mike Shildt sat at the podium in the Petco Park auditorium on Tuesday afternoon and finally made it clear what he (and everybody else) really wanted.

"Let's just go play baseball," the Padres’ manager said.

When they, at last, just played baseball, the Padres and Dodgers delivered another instant classic in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

And now, following their dramatic 6-5 victory on Tuesday night at Petco Park, the Padres find themselves one win from a second trip to the NL Championship Series in three years.

“It’s just amazing. It’s amazing," Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said on FS1. "It’s a beautiful time to be here. Man, what can I say? We still have a lot of work to do, but one step at a time. Definitely one step at a time.”

The Padres jumped out in front with a wild six-run, second-inning rally. They didn't exactly hit Dodgers starter Walker Buehler hard in the frame -- aside from Tatis Jr.'s towering two-run homer to cap the scoring. But they made contact. And, as the Padres like to say, good things happen when you make contact.

Like … Freddie Freeman attempting to turn a double play but throwing the ball into Manny Machado's back, allowing Machado to scamper to third. Like … hobbled Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas trying to turn a double play by himself but arriving late with both his step on second base and his throw to first. Like … David Peralta sneaking a double inside the first-base bag and Jake Cronenworth legging out an infield hit and Kyle Higashioka hitting a sacrifice fly.

And then, of course, Tatis' moonshot, setting off pandemonium at Petco Park.

Short-lived pandemonium, however. The Dodgers responded in the top of the third inning with a Teoscar Hernández grand slam that cut the Padres’ lead to one run. From there, starter Michael King pitched through the fifth, and the San Diego bullpen slammed the door.

“Just coming out the gate with a foot on the pedal," Tatis said. "We’re going since first pitch of the game, and we’re showing up. That’s the energy that we need. That’s the energy that we have been putting on. That’s the right way to start playoff games.”

Game 4 is Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT at Petco Park. The Padres can close out the rival Dodgers -- and avoid a return trip to Dodger Stadium for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday night -- with a victory.

"That’s a great team over there," Cronenworth said on FS1. "Obviously, they’re here for a reason. They’re an outstanding team, and it’s awesome to compete against those guys because the games are seemingly back and forth every time."