Jackson Chourio’s ninth-inning single gave Milwaukee a 4-3 win over San Diego and a 2-0 NLDS lead heading to Petco Park.
Michael King gave San Diego the start it wanted. The Padres carried a lead into the ninth inning. Mason Miller had already recorded three outs and was being asked for three more.
Milwaukee still found a way through.
Jackson Chourio lined a 101 mph Miller fastball into center field with the bases loaded and two outs Sunday, scoring two runs and giving the Brewers a 4-3 walk-off victory. Milwaukee leaves the first two games of the National League Division Series with a 2-0 lead after winning them by a combined two runs.
San Diego returns home Tuesday needing three consecutive victories to keep its season alive. Milwaukee needs one.
King Gave San Diego Its Opening
The Game 2 preview centered on King because the Padres needed a starter capable of narrowing Milwaukee’s home-field advantage. He did exactly that.
King retired the first 14 Brewers he faced before Christian Yelich doubled with two outs in the fifth. Sal Frelick followed with an RBI single for Milwaukee’s first run. King left after hitting Chourio to begin the sixth, finishing with one run allowed on three hits and six strikeouts over five-plus innings.
His first two postseason starts have now produced 12-plus innings with only one run allowed. He threw seven scoreless against the Cubs in the Wild Card round before shutting Milwaukee down for most of Sunday afternoon.
San Diego received the pitching performance required to win Game 2. The lead was still there eight innings later.
Henderson Kept Milwaukee Close
Logan Henderson matched King closely enough to prevent San Diego from creating separation.
Manny Machado drew a two-out walk in the first after falling behind 0-2, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Ty France singled to center. San Diego added an unearned run in the fifth after Luis Campusano singled and Milwaukee committed an error.
Henderson allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits over five-plus innings. He struck out four and left the Brewers within one swing of tying the game.
The anticipated pitching duel arrived. The original full-game total of 7 landed exactly on the number when the ninth inning ended 4-3.
San Diego Kept Creating Chances
The Padres have spent two games creating enough offense to keep Milwaukee under pressure.
Game 1 produced nine San Diego hits, four walks and 12 runners left on base. Game 2 was quieter offensively, yet the Padres still built leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before Milwaukee answered.
Fernando Tatis Jr. reached on David Hamilton’s error in the seventh, Machado walked with two outs and France drove in another run with a single. Machado was thrown out trying to advance to third, ending the inning with San Diego ahead 3-1.
Milwaukee pulled one back in the bottom half when Garrett Mitchell eventually scored on a Jake Cronenworth error.
The first two games have both been decided by one run. Milwaukee has simply finished each game with one more.
Miller Couldn’t Finish Six Outs
Craig Stammen went to Miller in the eighth and asked his closer to protect the lead for six outs. Miller handled the eighth quickly enough for San Diego to stay with the plan.
The ninth became a different inning.
Yelich and Frelick drew consecutive one-out walks. Miller recovered to record the second out, then walked pinch-hitter Gary Sánchez to load the bases. Chourio got the fastball he was waiting for and drove it into center.
Miller finished with 40 pitches, only 21 for strikes. Milwaukee forced him to keep working until the strike zone finally became impossible to navigate around.
The Padres have Monday off before Game 3, which gives Miller a recovery day. His workload still becomes part of San Diego’s bullpen planning if Tuesday turns into another close game.
Chourio Has Defined the Series
Chourio was already at the center of Game 1. His two-run homer tied that game in the third, and his catch after Ty France’s ninth-inning drive struck the roof cable became the strangest play of the opening weekend.
Game 2 ended with the ball leaving his bat instead.
The Brewers had loaded the bases without a hit in the ninth. Chourio supplied the only one they needed.
Milwaukee’s lineup has not overwhelmed San Diego for long stretches. It has produced the decisive plate appearances in both games. Chourio has been involved in almost all of them.
Two Close Games Created a Huge Gap
The series score now looks far more decisive than the baseball that produced it.
Milwaukee won Game 1 by one run after San Diego stranded 12. The Brewers won Game 2 by one run after trailing entering the ninth. Neither game created much separation between the teams for most of the afternoon.
The standings inside a best-of-five series have no mechanism for grading close losses. San Diego is down 2-0 and cannot lose again.
Milwaukee entered October after winning 103 games and producing a 9.89% regular-season moneyline return. San Diego also carried a strong expectation profile, returning 7.26% on the moneyline while closing the season as one of baseball’s hottest teams. Two one-run games have pushed those season-long evaluations into a much harsher postseason reality.
Game 3 Gives San Diego the Pitching Edge
The series resumes Tuesday night at Petco Park with Nick Pivetta starting for San Diego against Dustin May.
Pivetta enters after an excellent September, posting a 1.45 ERA over four starts following his return from a right elbow injury. He allowed one run in San Diego’s Wild Card clincher against the Cubs and gives the Padres another starter capable of keeping the elimination game compressed.
May finished 7-9 with a 4.70 ERA after joining Milwaukee during the season. His broader numbers are much less imposing than King’s or Henderson’s, although San Diego has seen a particularly effective version of him. May posted a 1.23 ERA across three appearances against the Padres this year.
The current market reflects that matchup. San Diego is around -130 at home, with Milwaukee approximately +118 and the total at 7 as of Monday afternoon.
Milwaukee is therefore taking a 2-0 series lead into San Diego as the Game 3 underdog.
The Early Innings Remain the Place to Watch
Low early scoring has become one of the clearest patterns of the Division Series.
Five of the first six Division Series games produced three runs or fewer through five innings. Since the current playoff format began in 2022, first-five Unders have also performed well during this round, including a 24-19 record on Under 3.5 entering this postseason.
Game 2 fit that environment. San Diego led 2-1 after five despite quality scoring opportunities on both sides. King and Henderson controlled most of the early game, and neither bullpen was asked to protect a large margin.
Pivetta against May creates a less symmetrical pitching matchup Tuesday, though Petco Park and San Diego’s elimination-game approach could keep the early innings tight again.
San Diego Gets Its Last Margin for Error
The Padres swept Milwaukee in three games at Petco Park in August. They now need another home winning streak against the same opponent.
Pivetta gives them a good first chance. Petco gives them the setting they wanted after two narrow losses in Milwaukee. Their lineup has shown it can put runners on base against Brewers pitching.
Every remaining advantage has to become a win immediately.
Milwaukee can afford to lose Tuesday and still hold the series lead. San Diego has reached the point where another close loss ends the season.
Series: Milwaukee leads 2-0. Game 3 is Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET in San Diego, with Pivetta facing May. The first two games showed how little separates these teams inning to inning. The scoreboard has created all the separation Milwaukee needs.
Sources
MLB, Padres-Brewers Game 2 Gameday and box score | MLB, Padres-Brewers Game 2 highlights | Reuters, October 4 Game 2 recap | Reuters, Dustin May and Nick Pivetta Game 3 announcement | MLB, Padres probable pitchers | EVAnalytics, 2026 team betting performance | Current Padres-Brewers Game 3 market, October 5, 2026