Russell Branyan, Chris Young and Trevor Hoffman saved San Diego, stopping the St. Louis Cardinals from sweeping the Padres in the first round of the NL playoffs.

Branyan's two-run, fourth-inning double gave the NL West champions their first lead in three games, Young shut down the Cardinals' offence for 6 2-3 innings and Hoffman made it to the mound for the first time in the series, leading San Diego to a 3-1 victory Saturday that pulled the Padres to 2-1 in the best-of-five series.

St. Louis, which swept San Diego in the first round last season while never trailing, sends ace Chris Carpenter to the mound in Game 4 on Sunday, when the Padres will try to force the series back to San Diego for a fifth game Monday.

San Diego was 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position in the series before Branyan's hit off loser Jeff Suppan put the Padres ahead 2-0. Geoff Blum followed with a sacrifice fly.

Young, a six-foot-10 right-hander, was the NL's best road starter, going 6-0 with a 2.41 ERA. Making his first post-season appearance, the 27-year-old allowed four hits, walked two and struck out nine, fanning Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen twice each. He is 9-0 in 24 road outings dating to June 25, 2005.

Alan Embree finished the seventh, Scott Linebrink allowed an eighth-inning homer to pinch-hitter So Taguchi and Hoffman finished the five-hitter with a perfect ninth for his fourth post-season save.

Hoffman led the NL with 46 saves this season and set the career record with 482, passing Lee Smith. He pitched only one inning in last year's series against St. Louis.

San Diego won despite stranding 14 and going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position, leaving the Padres at 1-for-25 in the series. San Diego scored one run in losing the first two games at home.

Pujols, who had five hits in the first two games, was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a double-play ball. The second strikeout came with runners on first and second for the second out in the sixth, and Jim Edmonds followed with a flyout to the wall in left.

Suppan escaped a second-and-third, no-outs jam in the first when Brian Giles hit a comebacker, Dave Roberts hit into a forceout at the plate and catcher Yadier Molina picked off Mike Piazza at first.

San Diego went ahead when Adrian Gonzalez singled with one out in the fifth, Mike Cameron walked and Branyan drove the ball into the right-field corner. Branyan took third on the throw, with second baseman Ronnie Belliard leaping and then stumbling to retrieve the off-line relay from right fielder Juan Encarnacion, and scored on Blum's fly.

Taguchi, who homered only twice in 316 at-bats during the regular season, homered leading off the eighth and Chris Duncan walked with one out. But with the crowd of 46,634 chanting ``M-V-P!'' Pujols grounded into a double play.

Notes: Dave Roberts, 7-for-11 against Suppan during the regular season in his career, singled in all three at-bats against him. ... Cardinals Hall of Fame SS Ozzie Smith threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock, making his first appearance since a lower abdominal injury on Sept. 28, escaped a bases-loaded situation in the fifth to keep the deficit at 3-0.