Padres Stave Off Elimination, Beat Brewers 4-3 in NLDS Game 3 Thriller
San Diego survives without closer Mason Miller, forcing a Game 4 with a clutch victory.
The San Diego Padres avoided elimination Tuesday night, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The Padres, who had previously lost the first two games in Milwaukee, rallied at Petco Park to trim the Brewers' series lead to 2-1.
San Diego opened the scoring in the first inning. Samad Taylor singled, stole second, and then scored on a Fernando Tatis Jr. groundout. Manny Machado added an RBI single to give the Padres a 2-0 lead.
Milwaukee began its comeback in the fourth inning when William Contreras hit a solo home run. The Brewers tied the game in the fifth when Cooper Pratt, after tagging up on a shallow fly ball, scored from third base on a throw that lacked sufficient velocity.
Jake Cronenworth answered immediately for San Diego, hitting a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth to restore the Padres' lead at 3-2. The Padres extended their lead to 4-2 in the sixth inning in a chaotic play where a broken bat nearly hit a runner, but a fielding error allowed Xander Bogaerts to score.
The Brewers narrowed the deficit to 4-3 in the seventh inning on Christian Yelich's two-out RBI single.
The Padres managed the late innings without their All-Star closer, Mason Miller, who was placed on the Postseason Paternity List earlier in the day. Michael King, who started Game 2, came out of the bullpen to close out the victory, securing the win for San Diego.
The Padres will host Game 4 on Wednesday night, with another elimination game on deck. San Diego's pitching plan for Game 4 remains uncertain, with options including a potential return for Robbie Ray, who started Game 1, or Walker Buehler. The team faces the imperative to win and force a Game 5 back in Milwaukee, or their season will conclude.