The first two games of the National League Division Series matchup between the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers have been playoff baseball at its best.
Drama, late-inning heroics, the American Family Field roof suddenly coming into play, and series-changing moments between two of the best players in Major League Baseball. Game one saw William Contreras launch a go-ahead homer in the 7th inning, while Ty France tried to hit a go-ahead one in the top of the ninth, only to be thwarted by the roof support system in Milwaukee.
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The Brewers held on to win that game, 3-2, setting up a must-win for the Padres in game two. Michael King out-dueled Logan Henderson, and the Padres’ talented bullpen mostly held Milwaukee’s lineup at bay … until the bottom of the ninth inning.
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All-world closer Mason Miller, starting his second inning of work, suddenly couldn’t find the plate. After three walks in the inning, star outfielder Jackson Chourio crushed a line-drive single to center field, walking off the Padres and giving the Brewers a commanding 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to Petco Park.
With Miller pushed to 40 pitches on Sunday, his availability for Tuesday’s must-win matchup was already in question. But some stunning pregame news, that he’d be placed on the paternity list and unavailable, removed any doubt.
Fortunately for San Diego, they had Nick Pivetta starting against Dustin May, seemingly providing a clear matchup advantage. Through the early part of the game, that’s exactly how it played out.
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Pivetta used some spectacular defense from Jackson Merrill to work a scoreless first inning, with the young center fielder making a fantastic catch to rob Chourio of a double.
While Dustin May got through the first few innings unscathed, the third quickly unraveled. Samad Taylor singled and stole second, with Jake Cronenworth bunting him to third. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a run-scoring grounder to make it 1-0, followed by Merrill lacing a single to center.
He too stole second, and Manny Machado, struggling through the first two games, finally came through and drove in the second run to send the San Diego crowd into a frenzy.
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In the top of the fourth, Milwaukee struck back. William Contreras, coming off a down year by his standards, delivered again, launching a mammoth homer to left field off Pivetta. And he took his sweet time admiring it, adding some celebrations while rounding the bases.
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That made it 2-1, and when the Padres worked a lead off walk in the bottom of the fourth, Brewers manager Pat Murphy didn’t hesitate, removing May from the game and going to the strong Milwaukee bullpen.
Milwaukee didn’t stay down for long. In the top of the fifth, Cooper Pratt and Sal Frelick set the table with back-to-back singles, allowing Jackson Chourio to knot the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to center.
But Jake Cronenworth wasn’t having it. In the bottom of the fifth, Cronenworth launched a majestic solo shot to right field off Antonio Senzatela, restoring San Diego’s lead at 3-2 and sending Petco Park into a frenzy.
The Padres tacked on a crucial insurance run in the sixth when Xander Bogaerts came home on a Cooper Pratt throwing error to push the lead to 4-2.
Milwaukee battled back in the eighth, scratching across another run off Bradgley Rodríguez to cut the deficit to 4-3. But Padres manager Craig Stammen turned to starter-turned-reliever Michael King to finish the job. King tossed two gritty innings out of the bullpen, stranding the tying run in the ninth to secure the 4-3 victory.
With the 4-3 win, San Diego fended off the sweep, cut Milwaukee’s NLDS lead to 2-1, and set up a massive Game 4 at Petco Park.
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This entire series has been a showcase of top-tier baseball; elite pitching, powerful bullpens, and stars coming through in big moments. If this doesn’t go five games, it’ll be a missed opportunity for neutral fans who enjoy the drama of playoff baseball. Though Milwaukee is certainly hoping it doesn’t.
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