Padres defeat Brewers 4-3 in Game 3 as Michael King earns six-out save on short rest

King closes on short rest

Starter Michael King secured a six-out save on one day of rest to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night. King had thrown 72 pitches across five innings as the Game 2 starter on Sunday before stepping into the bullpen role at Petco Park. The right-hander gave up one hit and walked two over two scoreless innings, clinching his first save since 2023 and his first in the postseason. Since Major League Baseball made the save an official statistic in 1969, King is the only pitcher to start a game and record a save of at least six outs within two days of that start. The victory cut Milwaukee's lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1 and avoided elimination.

Bullpen reshuffle and paternity leave

San Diego entered the contest without All-Star closer Mason Miller, who was placed on the postseason paternity list approximately 45 minutes before first pitch after his wife, Jordan, went into labor with their first child. The Padres added left-hander Wandy Peralta to the active 26-man roster to fill Miller's spot. Setup reliever Adrian Morejon was also held out due to a shoulder issue, complicating bullpen management for manager Craig Stammen. Stammen opted to hold Miller out after maintaining contact throughout the afternoon to see if the reliever could arrive in time.

He decided that he needed to stay with his wife. We knew sometime in the afternoon, but we wanted to give him enough time in case the baby comes really quick or it goes the other way, and he could come to the game. We gave him the opportunity. We waited until an hour and a half, an hour before the game time to make the final call.

Early offense and decisive defense

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado drove in early runs for San Diego before Jake Cronenworth broke a tie in the fifth inning with a solo home run, San Diego's first home run of the series. Xander Bogaerts added an insurance run in the sixth inning after advancing on a Milwaukee fielding error. The Brewers threatened in the top of the ninth when William Contreras and Brice Turang drew consecutive one-out walks from King. Christian Yelich then hit a 107 mph line drive up the middle, which Bogaerts fielded on his knees, stepped on second base, and threw to first to complete a game-ending double play.

Milwaukee road struggles continue

The defeat extended Milwaukee's postseason road losing streak to 12 consecutive games, a slide dating back to the 2018 National League Championship Series. The 12-game away skid ties the Major League Baseball record established by the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins franchise from 1925 to 1987. Milwaukee, which compiled a 103-59 record in the regular season, dropped to 6-24 all-time in away playoff games. Contreras paced the Brewers with three hits, including a home run, while Yelich recorded his first postseason run batted in since 2018 with a seventh-inning single.

It's tough to win on the road in playoff situations, obviously. We've done a pretty good job at home, I'd say, but you're right. It's never fun. We lost to the Nationals, right? You're going back to the Nationals. They won the World Series.

Series outlook ahead of Game 4

Game 4 takes place Wednesday night at Petco Park, where the Padres have compiled a 27-6 record since the All-Star break. Milwaukee retains a 2-1 advantage in the series and needs one victory to advance to the National League Championship Series. If San Diego wins Wednesday, the deciding Game 5 will occur Friday at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Neither team announced a starting pitcher for Game 4 immediately following Tuesday's contest.