Padres Return to Petco Park Down 0-2, Face Elimination in NLDS Game 3 Against Brewers

The San Diego Padres stormed through the National League Wild Card Series with a two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park last week. Now they return home facing elimination.

The Padres dropped Games 1 and 2 of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field over the weekend, both on crushing late-inning rallies, and now face a must-win Game 3 at Petco Park on Tuesday night.

Game 1 on Friday turned on a bizarre play: Ty France's deep drive to left field struck a cable on the roof of the Milwaukee ballpark, and the Brewers hung on for a 3-2 victory. The Padres jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on RBI hits from Luis Campusano and Jake Cronenworth, but Milwaukee answered with a Jackson Chourio two-run homer in the third and pushed across the decisive run late.

Game 2 on Saturday was even more painful. The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single from France scoring Manny Machado and held a 3-2 edge going into the bottom of the ninth. Manager Craig Stammen called on closer Mason Miller for a six-out save. Miller got through the eighth unscathed, but in the ninth, Christian Yelich walked and stole second, and Sal Frelick walked. After a fly-out for the second out, Gary Sánchez walked to load the bases. Chourio then lined a full-count fastball back up the middle for a walk-off two-run single, sending the Brewers to a 4-3 win and a 2-0 series lead.

San Diego, which entered the postseason with 20 wins in its last 23 games, has now suffered consecutive losses for the first time since Sept. 1-2.

The best-of-five series now shifts to San Diego, where the Padres must win both home games to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Milwaukee on Thursday.

"We know who they're throwing Game 1," shortstop Xander Bogaerts said after the Wild Card clincher, referring to presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski, who started Game 1 for Milwaukee. "So let's celebrate today. And then be ready for that fastball."

Manny Machado, a veteran of eight postseasons, called the Petco Park crowds during the Wild Card series unlike anything he had seen. "That was huge," Machado said.

### Wild Card dominance

Before the Milwaukee losses, the Padres had been the hottest team in baseball. They dispatched the Cubs in two games that were never close, outscoring Chicago 12-1 over 18 innings. The Padres led after 17 of those 18 innings.

Game 1 saw Michael King dominate on the mound and Joe Musgrove return from injury to close out an 8-0 shutout. In Game 2, Gavin Sheets — playing through a plantar plate tear in his left foot — delivered the decisive blow, a pinch-hit two-run homer that sent Petco Park into delirium.

Manager Craig Stammen told his team after the clincher: "We had 13 bricks to lay. Two down, 11 more to go."

Now they need at least two more bricks just to keep the season alive.

The Metropolitan Transit System is adding extra Green Line Trolley service to handle sold-out crowds at Petco Park. First pitch for Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday evening. Game 4, if necessary, would be played Wednesday at Petco Park.