King-sized win: Padres use ace to close out Brewers, stave off elimination

Kevin Acee, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Oct 7, 2026

Published in Baseball

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The Padres kept it going.

There will be a second home game.

A Game 4.

There is a chance.

With no space at all between them and the wall they have so proudly been up against and fought their way back from so much of the season, they beat the Brewers 4-3 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

After losing the first two games of the series by a run, the Padres turned things around on the Brewers.

Jake Cronenworth’s home run in the fifth inning broke a 2-2 tie, and the Padres took advantage of two bounced throws by the Brewers to add a run in the sixth.

Without closer Mason Miller, who was placed on the paternity list shortly before Tuesday’s game, the Padres pieced together the finish by borrowing from the starting rotation.

Bradgley Rodriguez stranded two of Yuki Matsui’s runners by getting the final out in the sixth inning and two runners he put on by getting the final out of the seventh.

Michael King, who started Game 2 on Sunday and would presumably start Game 5 on Friday in Milwaukee if the Padres can extend the series that long, worked the final two innings to get the save.

The game ended on a double-play grounder after King had walked a pair with two outs.

Well before all that, the Padres scored first for the third time in the series.

They lost their lead again Tuesday, but they got it back immediately when Cronenworth led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his first hit in eight at-bats in the series and his first postseason homer since the 2022 NLDS.

Just as significantly, the Padres stars who had been largely ineffective through the first two games contributed in indelible ways.

Jackson Merrill sprinted to make two lunging catches that prevented extra-base hits, and he singled and scored the Padres’ second run on a single by Manny Machado in the second inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in the first run in that inning.

Taylor led off the bottom of the third by lining a single into center field and stole second on May’s first pitch to Cronenworth.

The crowd, which at 47,708 was the third-largest to ever watch a game at Petco Park, finally let loose, erupting at both events. Many of those assembled had seemed tentative, perhaps nervous, to that point, as their team was on the brink of elimination.

They only got louder for a while.

Cronenworth moved Taylor to third, and Taylor took off from there when Tatis made contact on a ball he beat into the dirt and sent toward shortstop Cooper Pratt, who had no choice once he fielded the ball but to throw to first for the out as Taylor crossed the plate to give the Padres a 1-0- lead.

Merrill followed with a single up the middle, stole second and scored on Machado’s single through the left side of the infield.

William Contreras’ second home run of the series led off the fourth to cut the Padres’ lead to 2-1.

Brewers starting pitcher Dustin May, who had allowed the Padres just four runs (three earned) over 22 innings in his three starts against them this season, was gone in the fourth inning.

After he walked Ethan Salas to start the bottom of the inning and threw a ball to Xander Bogaerts, Brewers manager Pat Murphy walked to the mound and removed him for left-hander JoJo Romero, who retired the next three batters.

Pratt led off the fifth with a single grounded through the middle and went to second on a single by Sal Frelick. Pivetta retired the last batter he faced, though the out came on a sacrifice bunt that moved both runners into scoring position.

Padres manager Craig Stammen went to Adam, who got a shallow fly ball to left field by Chourio that was caught by Dustin Harris. Still, Pratt took off from third and beat the throw home to tie the game.

After a walk and a single to load the bases, Matsui got a fielder’s choice grounder to end the threat.

Cronenworth, who was 1-for-13 in the first four games of the postseason, promptly turned on the first pitch he saw from Romero and sent it beyond the wall in right field.

Matsui got in trouble in the sixth after walking Christian Yelich at the start and surrendering a one-out single to Pratt. After a groundout by Sal Frelick moved the runners up, Rodriguez was called on to face No.9 batter Joey Ortiz, who he retired on a long fly ball down the right field line.

A two-out rally greatly aided by two Brewers gaffes gave Rodriguez a two-run lead when he took the mound again.

Bogaerts started the rally with a single that ended right-hander Antonio Senzatela’s night. With pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar in to face left-hander DL Hall, Bogaerts scored to second on a wild pitch and scored on Andujar’s grounder and the ensuing error by Pratt.

Andujar’s bat broke, and the top half sailed toward Pratt just behind the ball. Pratt fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw short-hopped first baseman Jake Bauer, who could not hold onto it, and Bogaerts slowed for just a half-second as he rounded third base before taking off sliding across the plate ahead of Bauer’s throw.