The Brewers are one win from the NLCS after stealing Game 2 from the Padres, 4-3, and the finish turned on a razor-thin detail that may have been hiding in plain sight.
Jackson Chourio delivered the knockout blow with a two-run single through the middle of the infield, driving in the tying and winning runs and sending Milwaukee home with a 2-0 series lead. The Padres looked ready to force a split, but the Brewers found a way to flip the game in the final moments.
The conversation after the game centered on Mason Miller and whether Milwaukee cracked a pitching tell. Miller, who had been one of San Diego’s most dependable arms all season with a 1.67 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 2026, did not look like that same pitcher in the biggest spot of Game 2. Fans online pointed to his glove position as the possible giveaway.
“Mason Miller may have been tipping his pitches against Jackson Chourio 👀
Sal Frelick taps his neck at 2nd base right before Chourio lays off a slider. pic.twitter.com/zBYsaw7aPt
- Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) October 5, 2026”
During Chourio’s at-bat, Sal Frelick was stationed at second base and appeared to spot a slider based on where Miller held his glove. Frelick then seemed to relay that information with a tap near his neck, and Chourio took the slider for a ball.
More fan-shared images added to the speculation, with Miller’s glove position appearing different depending on the pitch. His grip seemed more hidden when he was getting ready to throw a slider, while more of his hand looked exposed before a four-seamer.
Whether the Brewers truly picked up the pattern or not, Miller left himself vulnerable in the ninth. He walked three hitters to load the bases, and Milwaukee made him pay.
In postseason baseball, the smallest edge can swing everything, and the Brewers seized theirs. They now have a chance to finish the job in Game 3.
In Other News...
Brewers Padres Series Just Got A Petty New Edge
The Brewers have found a little October edge of their own at home, turning to elevator music during opponents batting practice as part of the postseason chess match that tends to show up once the calendar flips. It is the kind of harmless but pointed gamesmanship that feels right for this time of year, when every club is looking for some small way to unsettle the other side before the games start counting in earnest.
San Diego answered in kind at Petco Park, piping elevator music over the speakers while Milwaukee was on the field for an off-day workout. It was a playful jab rather than anything heavy-handed, but it adds a petty little wrinkle to the series and underscores how thin the margins can get when two teams are looking for any edge, even one that sounds more like a department store than a ballpark. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Game 3 Opening Padres Fans Hate
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Nick Pivetta is set to start on the mound for the Padres, giving San Diego a familiar arm as it tries to extend its season. It will be his second postseason start since returning from injury, and the Padres are banking on him to help steady a lineup that has already lost one key bat before the first pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Had A Strange Game 1 Warning That Suddenly Looks Huge
Rainy conditions forced the Brewers to close the roof at American Family Field for Game 1 against the Padres, and what looked like a routine weather decision turned into one of the defining moments of the night. A ball hit the roof and stayed in play long enough for Jackson Chourio to make the catch, turning the strange carom into an out that helped Milwaukee hang on for a 3-2 win.
Chourio then showed up again in Game 2, this time delivering the walk-off single that sent the Brewers home with another victory and a 2-0 lead in the NLDS. In a series where the smallest details have already mattered, the roof call from the opener suddenly looks like more than a footnote for Milwaukee. [Read more 🡒]