All Unclench: Brewers beat Padres in NLDS Game 4, Set for rematch with Dodgers

At no point in the National League Division Series between the Brewers and the Padres did either team lead by more than two runs. The total runs scored in a game has never exceeded seven. But neither fact should in any way suggest that there is no offense snoozefest.

All four games were given an incomparable number of hits, which is the number of runs allowed, at least compared to the regular season average. During the 2026 season, the league averaged nine runs per game around twenty-four major leaguers. The Brewers and Padres have a similar 24 basemen per game, although they run a combined total of between four and seven. Close games and a lot of traffic on the basepaths made this series a real loot hole experience for supporters of both teams, as well as sympathetic neutral spectators. By the time fans were able to watch Game 4, the Brewers defeated the Padres, 3-1, to advance to the NLCS against the Dodgers.

Although both teams named a traditional starter for Wednesday’s Game 4, neither Walker Buehler for the Padres nor Robert Gasser for the Brewers was expected to pitch in this particularly deep game. Buehler was healthy enough to make 32 starts this season for the first time since 2021, but he couldn’t match his innings total (207 2/3 IP) or replicate the 60 ERA he set that year. But he was slightly below-average, with an ERA of 115 over 153 2/3 innings. He also spent the first two games of the NLDS on paternity leave, which likely interrupted his typical schedule, and any departure from practice has the potential to leave the pitcher feeling out of the lineup. Buehler pitched three innings, allowing one run on two singles from Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell. His command looked shaky from the jump and between the non-competitive calls outside the zone and the offers he was just caught on the plate.