ST. LOUIS — The San Diego Padres got the ball to Trevor Hoffman, and baseball's career saves leader did the rest.

Chris Young shut down the Cardinals' offense for 6 2/3 innings, Russell Branyan's two-run double gave the NL West champions their first lead of the series and the Padres beat St. Louis 3-1 yesterday, pulling to 2-1 in their NL playoff.

Stopping the Cardinals from sweeping the Padres in the first round for the second straight year, San Diego got Hoffman on the mound for the first time this week.

"Anytime he comes into a game," San Diego's Mike Cameron said, "that's a real good sign for us."

St. Louis sends ace Chris Carpenter to the mound in Game 4 today, when the Padres will try to force the series back to San Diego for a fifth game tomorrow.

"I think Chris is as good as anybody in baseball," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "So I always think we have a chance, a good chance. It's a game we hoped not to play."

Woody Williams, who got knocked out in the second inning in Game 3 last year, will start for the Padres. Game 1 loser Jake Peavy would go in Game 5.

"Probably as much as having confidence in Woody, we think Jake could use another day," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's pitched a lot down the stretch, and we're in a situation where we need to win two games."

Carpenter will be making his third straight start against the Padres, including his final regular-season outing.

"No matter what game it is and how many times you've seen them, the goal is to execute pitches and execute your game plan," Carpenter said. "If you can do that you'll have success. If you don't, you won't."

Williams won 18 games for the Cardinals in 2002 and was their Game 1 World Series starter in 2004.

"It's going to be fun," he said. "I can't get too emotional about it."

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

Young, a 6-foot-10 right-hander, was the NL's best road starter, going 6-0 with a 2.41 ERA.

Making his first postseason 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.

"I don't think he's difficult to hit," Pujols said. "I saw the ball good, but I chased some bad pitches, and when you chase bad pitches you actually make the guy difficult."

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 postseason save.

Bochy had been 0-8 against the Cardinals in the playoffs, with his team also getting swept in 1996.

"No getting away from it, they've had their way with us," Bochy said. "We're hearing 'Who's your Padre?' There's a real sense of relief to finally win a game against these guys in the playoffs. It took a well-pitched game."

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.