In Game 3 of the National League Division Series, the San Diego Padres narrowly avoided elimination by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park, setting up a decisive Game 4. The game saw key contributions from Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta and his team’s defense, which helped them build an early lead. Despite a late home run by William Contreras that briefly tied the score, San Diego held on to win, thanks in part to a strong performance from their bullpen after closer Mason Miller was ruled unavailable due to being placed on the paternity list.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Drama, late-inning heroics, the American Family Field roof suddenly coming into play, and series-changing moments between two of the best players in Major League Baseball.
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roof → come → Baseball
Game one saw William Contreras launch a go-ahead homer in the 7th inning, while Ty France tried to hit a go-ahead one in the top of the ninth, only to be thwarted by the roof support system in Milwaukee.
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France → see → Milwaukee
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page → contain → partners
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News → sign → wager
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that → create → newsroom
The Brewers held on to win that game, 3-2, setting up a must-win for the Padres in game two.
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Brewers → hold → game
Michael King out-dueled Logan Henderson, and the Padres' talented bullpen mostly held Milwaukee's lineup at bay ... until the bottom of the ninth inning.
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bullpen → duel → inning
All-world closer Mason Miller, starting his second inning of work, suddenly couldn't find the plate.
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Miller → start → plate
After three walks in the inning, star outfielder Jackson Chourio crushed a line-drive single to center field, walking off the Padres and giving the Brewers a commanding 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to Petco Park.
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series → crush → Park
With Miller pushed to 40 pitches on Sunday, his availability for Tuesday's must-win matchup was already in question.
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availability → push → question
But some stunning pregame news, that he'd be placed on the paternity list and unavailable, removed any doubt.
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he → place → doubt
Fortunately for San Diego, they had Nick Pivetta starting against Dustin May, seemingly providing a clear matchup advantage.
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Pivetta → have → advantage
Through the early part of the game, that's exactly how it played out.
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it → play → game
Pivetta used some spectacular defense from Jackson Merrill to work a scoreless first inning, with the young center fielder making a fantastic catch to rob Chourio of a double.
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fielder → use → double
While Dustin May got through the first few innings unscathed, the third quickly unraveled.
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third → get → innings
Samad Taylor singled and stole second, with Jake Cronenworth bunting him to third.
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Cronenworth → single → third
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a run-scoring grounder to make it 1-0, followed by Merrill lacing a single to center.
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Merrill → hit → center
He too stole second, and Manny Machado, struggling through the first two games, finally came through and drove in the second run to send the San Diego crowd into a frenzy.
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Machado → steal → frenzy
In the top of the fourth, Milwaukee struck back.
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Milwaukee → strike → fourth
William Contreras, coming off a down year by his standards, delivered again, launching a mammoth homer to left field off Pivetta.
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Contreras → come → Pivetta
And he took his sweet time admiring it, adding some celebrations while rounding the bases.
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he → take → bases
That made it 2-1, and when the Padres worked a lead off walk in the bottom of the fourth, Brewers manager Pat Murphy didn't hesitate, removing May from the game and going to the strong Milwaukee bullpen.
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Murphy → make → bullpen
Milwaukee didn't stay down for long.
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Milwaukee → stay → ?
In the top of the fifth, Cooper Pratt and Sal Frelick set the table with back-to-back singles, allowing Jackson Chourio to knot the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to center.
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Chourio → set → center
But Jake Cronenworth wasn't having it.
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Cronenworth → have → it
In the bottom of the fifth, Cronenworth launched a majestic solo shot to right field off Antonio Senzatela, restoring San Diego's lead at 3-2 and sending Petco Park into a frenzy.
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Cronenworth → launch → frenzy
The Padres tacked on a crucial insurance run in the sixth when Xander Bogaerts came home on a Cooper Pratt throwing error to push the lead to 4-2.
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Bogaerts → tack → 4
Milwaukee battled back in the eighth, scratching across another run off Bradgley Rodríguez to cut the deficit to 4-3.
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Milwaukee → battle → 4
But Padres manager Craig Stammen turned to starter-turned-reliever Michael King to finish the job.
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Stammen → turn → job
King tossed two gritty innings out of the bullpen, stranding the tying run in the ninth to secure the 4-3 victory.
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King → toss → victory
With the 4-3 win, San Diego fended off the sweep, cut Milwaukee’s NLDS lead to 2-1, and set up a massive Game 4 at Petco Park.
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Diego → fend → Park
This entire series has been a showcase of top-tier baseball; elite pitching, powerful bullpens, and stars coming through in big moments.
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series → come → moments
If this doesn't go five games, it'll be a missed opportunity for neutral fans who enjoy the drama of playoff baseball.
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who → go → baseball
Though Milwaukee is certainly hoping it doesn't.
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it → hop → ?
The Aporia
