Milwaukee Survives the Padres' First Punch. That's What October Baseball Looks Like.

William Contreras broke the tie Milwaukee's bullpen had spent several innings protecting. His seventh-inning homer to center gave the Brewers a 3–2 lead over San Diego on October 3. The Padres did not score again, leaving Milwaukee with the opening win of the National League Division Series.

The Brewers had trailed 2–0 before Jackson Chourio's two-run homer in the third. Their response came entirely through two home runs, while their pitchers kept San Diego's larger hit total from becoming a larger run total. The Padres collected nine hits to Milwaukee's seven, but all of San Diego's scoring arrived in the second inning.

Milwaukee took a 1–0 advantage in the best-of-five series. The win required repairing an early deficit, holding a tie and then defending a one-run lead. Different pitchers handled each stage, with five relievers covering the final five innings after Jacob Misiorowski's start.

San Diego scores twice

Luis Campusano singled in Xander Bogaerts in the second, giving the Padres a 1–0 lead. Ethan Salas advanced to third on the play and then scored when Jake Cronenworth reached on a fielder's choice. San Diego had converted a run-scoring hit and productive contact into a two-run advantage.

Misiorowski allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out six and threw 88 pitches. The early scoring did not become repeated damage against him, giving Milwaukee time to find the offensive swing that would bring the game level. His four innings created a bullpen requirement of 15 outs. Milwaukee obtained those through five pitchers, with Ashby and Megill each working beyond a conventional three-out appearance rather than asking the starter to complete another inning.

Garrett Mitchell was aboard when Chourio homered to left-center in the third. The two-run shot tied the game at 2–2. Milwaukee had recovered both runs through a single at-bat with a runner already in place, changing the remaining contest from a pursuit into a pitching test at level terms.

Chourio's homer was his only hit in four at-bats. Mitchell finished with a hit, a walk and a run. Their combined contribution created the first completed Brewers scoring sequence and removed the advantage San Diego had established one inning earlier.

The middle innings remain level

Robbie Ray allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in 2⅔ innings for San Diego. Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui and Jason Adam supplied the next relief work, keeping Milwaukee from scoring again until Contreras' seventh-inning homer.

The Padres were also continuing to reach base. Dustin Harris and Manny Machado each had two hits; Machado's line included a double and a walk. Bogaerts contributed a hit, a walk and a run, and San Diego drew four walks in total.

Those opportunities did not produce another run. Milwaukee's relief work required managing actual baserunners rather than simply completing a series of empty innings. The Padres' nine hits show that the offense was active, but the Brewers prevented the contact from connecting into another scoring sequence.

Contreras supplies the lead

Contreras homered in the seventh, moving Milwaukee ahead 3–2. He finished with a hit, a walk and an RBI. The Brewers' two home runs had now supplied all three runs, making a modest scoring total sufficient if their pitching could finish the remaining innings.

Jake Bauers recorded two hits, while Christian Yelich and Andrew Vaughn added singles. Milwaukee also drew four walks. The offense created other baserunners, but the score changed only when Chourio and Contreras cleared the bases or themselves through home runs.

Adrian Morejon was charged with one run over two innings for San Diego. The rest of the Padres' pitching kept the final margin narrow, but the offense still needed another run to remove Contreras' advantage. Milwaukee did not allow it.

Five relievers preserve the recovery

DL Hall worked a scoreless inning, although he walked two. Aaron Ashby supplied five outs without a hit or walk, and Antonio Senzatela recorded two outs while allowing two hits and a walk. Abner Uribe allowed two hits during his one-out appearance but no run.

Trevor Megill obtained the final four outs, allowing one hit with two strikeouts and no walk. The five relievers combined for five scoreless innings. Their lines differed in baserunners and workload, but their shared result was the absence of another San Diego run.

The opener's immediate consequence was a Brewers series lead earned through two distinct home-run answers. Chourio made the score even. Contreras made it favorable. The bullpen kept nine Padres hits from becoming more than two runs, allowing Milwaukee's three to remain enough through the last out.