King for the night: Heroic performance keeps Padres alive in NLDS Game 3

When the Padres put Mason Miller on the paternity list before NLDS Game 3, it was always meant to be. Like Chekhov’s gun; if you show me the closer is missing in the first act, you’ll show me a late-inning situation where he usually appears in the last. The Padres beat the Brewers 4-3 to stay alive, losing the NLDS to 2-1 in what was easily the most entertaining series of the divisional round.

Right from the jump, the Brewers beat the Padres. And right from the jump, the Padres picked up the loss. Jackson Chourio drew a line threat to the high side of the ballpark to open the game. In response, Jackson Merrill took off a perfect line and slid down the warning track to corral it.

Nick Pivetta couldn’t throw the ball past anyone; Milwaukee was turned over 37 times in their own plays and lost only twice. The peppered line of breweries moves left and right, making frequent voice contact. But the disadvantages are less than you think, because Pivetta was deceived, and his defense stood behind him.