The Padres found their way back into this NL Division Series the hard way.
After dropping the first two games in painfully close fashion, San Diego returned to Petco Park with its season on the line and answered with a 4-3 win over the Brewers in Game 3. The margin was slim, the swings were constant, and every inning seemed to matter a little more than the last.
The game opened with immediate tension. Brewers star Jackson Chourio led off by hammering a line drive to left-center, but Jackson Merrill chased it down with a sliding catch at the warning track.
Merrill wasn’t done there, either. He came through with an even better grab in the 3rd inning to keep Milwaukee from turning another ball into extra bases.
That same 3rd inning gave the Padres the first punch they’d been searching for. Samad Taylor singled to start the frame, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and then scored on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s groundout. Manny Machado followed with a single that brought home Jackson Merrill and pushed San Diego ahead 2-0.
It marked the third straight game in the series that the Padres had built a 2-0 lead.
Milwaukee chipped away in the 4th when William Conteras sent a solo home run to left. Then in the 5th, the Brewers pulled even after Chourio delivered a sacrifice fly off reliever Jason Adam, scoring a run after Nick Pivetta had opened the inning by allowing two singles. Pivetta finished with 4.1 innings pitched, two runs allowed, and four strikeouts.
San Diego answered right back in the bottom of the 5th. Jake Cronenworth jumped on the first pitch and launched a lead-off home run, a 368-foot shot to right that barely had enough to clear the wall and sent Petco Park into a frenzy.
The Padres tacked on another in the 6th thanks to shaky Milwaukee defense. Miguel Andujar chopped a broken-bat bouncer that led to a throwing error by Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt, allowing Xander Bogaerts to score from second and stretch the lead.
The Brewers weren’t finished. In the 7th, they put pressure on with two two-out hits and had runners on the corners before Christian Yelich lined one to left-center to cut the Padres’ advantage to 4-3.
From there, San Diego had to close it out without Mason Miller and Miguel Andujar available. Michael King, who started Game 2, handled the final six outs and locked down the win.
Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Petco Park, with the Padres again facing a must-win situation.
In Other News...
Padres Suddenly Have A Bullpen Concern In The Middle Of The NLDS
The Padres headed into Game 3 of the National League Division Series already trying to manage the margins, and their bullpen picture got thinner when Adrian Morejon was ruled out 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 still not being cleared to play.
Mason Millers absence only added to the strain, with the closer on the paternity list and unavailable for the game. For a San Diego staff that has leaned on late-inning depth all year, losing two key arms in the middle of a postseason series leaves the Padres with more lineup juggling than they likely wanted this late in October. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Sent A Worrying Bullpen Message Before Game 4
The Padres found a late October lifeline in Game 3 when Michael King gave them six outs to help keep the series moving, but the bigger picture around their pitching staff still feels unsettled. Milwaukees long road playoff skid has been part of the backdrop in this NLDS, yet San Diego knows those kinds of trends can disappear fast once a game turns into a bullpen test.
What matters now is how the Padres line up their relief work going into Game 4, because the margin for error is shrinking with every inning. The matchup has already shown how quickly one team can be forced into a different kind of night, and San Diegos next move will say a lot about how confident it feels in the arms behind its starters. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Game 3 Opening Padres Fans Hate
Gavin Sheets is not in the Padres starting lineup for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Brewers because of a stiff neck, though he is still available off the bench. The change pushes Samad Taylor into the batting order as San Diego tries to keep its season alive in Milwaukee, with every lineup decision carrying extra weight in a must-win game.
Nick Pivetta is set to start for San Diego, giving the Padres a second postseason look at the right-hander after he returned from injury. With the season on the line, the Padres are leaning on a pitcher who has only just rejoined the mix while also navigating a lineup tweak that could matter more if the game turns into a tight, late-inning grind. [Read more 🡒]