Brewers Eliminate Padres in NLDS, Set Up Dodgers Rematch

The San Diego Padres’ bid for a championship ended on Wednesday night as the Milwaukee Brewers secured a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, eliminating San Diego and advancing to the NLCS for the second consecutive season. The Brewers will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of last year's championship series.

The Padres, who showed strong form in the final two months of the regular season, struggled to generate offense against the Brewers. Despite a third-inning solo home run from Fernando Tatis Jr. that tied the game at 1-1, San Diego’s offense went largely silent for the remainder of the contest.

Milwaukee opened the scoring in the second inning when Sal Frelick singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Garrett Mitchell. This marked the first time the Brewers had taken an early lead in the series. Padres starter Walker Buehler pitched into the fourth inning before being replaced by Robbie Ray. The Brewers then took the lead in the fifth inning, with Jackson Chourio delivering an RBI single after Mitchell’s leadoff triple. An insurance run was added in the sixth via a sacrifice fly from Frelick.

The Brewers' bullpen, featuring Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill, delivered five scoreless innings of relief to close out the victory. In the bottom of the eighth, with the Padres threatening to tie the game, Garrett Mitchell made a game-saving catch at the wall to rob Manny Machado of a potential game-tying home run.

The Padres entered October with high expectations, fueled by strong late-season play, but ultimately could not translate their talent into consistent runs when it mattered most. Their inability to produce offensively proved to be the deciding factor in their elimination.

For Milwaukee, the win caps a regular season where they posted baseball’s best record and advances them to face the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers. For San Diego, the early exit marks another season where championship aspirations were not realized, leaving them to ponder their next steps as they continue to search for their first World Series title.