The Milwaukee Brewers have grabbed control of the National League Division Series, but the first two games have carried a warning label.
Milwaukee heads into a day off on Monday with a chance to finish off the five-game set Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. The Brewers are up 2-0, and that usually sounds like a team cruising. This one has felt tighter than the scoreline suggests.
The biggest reason is simple: the Padres have been putting runners on and leaving them there. Through two games, San Diego has stranded 20 men on base - 12 in Game 1 and eight in Game 2.
That kind of traffic usually turns into trouble sooner or later. So far, Milwaukee has escaped it.
That escape act came close to running out in Game 2. The Brewers were one strike from a loss before Jackson Chourio delivered the walk-off single that ended it. Game 1 had its own scare, too, when Ty France sent a drive to left field that looked headed for a go-ahead homer before it hit the roof of American Family Field and dropped into Chourio’s glove.
Ty France is robbed of a potential go-ahead homer as the ball hits the roof and drops back into play 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UkWjHytIEb
If that ball had carried out, the Padres would have been up 4-2 going to the bottom of the ninth.
So yes, the Brewers are 2-0. And yes, they’ve found ways to win.
But they haven’t overwhelmed San Diego. Milwaukee has been the steadier team in the moments that mattered, and that’s been enough in a series that has stayed on a knife’s edge.
That’s the number to keep watching in Game 3 and, if needed, after that: the Brewers’ ability to keep runners from turning into runs. The Padres have already shown they can get people on. If they finally start cashing those chances in, this series changes fast.
In Other News...
Padres Suddenly Have A Bullpen Concern In The Middle Of The NLDS
The Padres found themselves navigating Game 3 of the National League Division Series without one of their most important relief arms, as Adrian Morejon was unavailable because of a shoulder issue, manager Craig Stammen said. Morejon had not pitched since Game 1, though he did throw off the mound Tuesday before being held out, leaving San Diego to piece together the late innings without one of the left-handers it has leaned on this October.
Mason Millers absence only added to the uncertainty in the bullpen picture, with the closer on the paternity list and unavailable for the game. For a Padres club trying to hold a tight postseason edge, the timing could hardly be worse, and the relief corps suddenly has more to sort through as the NLDS moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Playoff Crowd Drew Viral Attention For A Very Different Reason
Petco Park had the kind of October energy the Padres have been chasing for years, with a sellout crowd on hand for NLDS Game 3 against the Brewers and San Diego pulling out a 4-3 win. For a moment, though, one clip from the stands ended up drawing as much attention as anything that happened on the field.
A female Padres fan was caught on video using her smartphones digital zoom to focus on the rear end of an unidentified player, and the footage quickly spread online. What might have passed as an odd, fleeting moment at a playoff game turned into a broader debate among viewers about public conduct and the double standards that can come with it. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Sent A Worrying Bullpen Message Before Game 4
Michael Kings six-out rescue in Game 3 kept the Padres from staring at elimination, but it also highlighted how little margin San Diego has left as the NLDS shifts into Game 4. The Brewers strange road playoff skid, now up to 12 straight losses and tied for the longest in postseason history, only adds to the sense that this series is swinging on small edges, with every inning carrying the weight of the season.
For the Padres, the bigger worry is the bullpen picture behind King after he was pressed into extra work just to get them through the last game. San Diego still has a chance to keep this thing moving, but the way Game 3 unfolded made it clear the relief corps is being asked to cover plenty, and Game 4 will tell a lot about how much more it can absorb. [Read more 🡒]