The San Diego Padres' season concluded in a 3-1 defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Petco Park. The loss eliminates San Diego from the postseason, while Milwaukee advances to the National League Championship Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who eliminated the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day.
The Padres managed only one run and two hits in the game. Xander Bogaerts popped out with the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, leaving runners stranded. That failure to score proved costly in the third inning when Garrett Mitchell hit a single off Walker Buehler to drive in the go-ahead run for Milwaukee.
Fernando Tatis Jr. provided the Padres' only offensive production, hitting a solo home run off Robert Gasser in the third inning to tie the game at 1-1. That swing was the final hit recorded by San Diego for the remainder of the contest. The Brewers extended their lead in the fifth inning when Jackson Chourio hit a two-out RBI single. Sal Frelick added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to make the score 3-1.
Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby pitched three scoreless innings without allowing a hit. In the eighth inning, Manny Machado hit a 107-mph home run to deep center field that appeared to be a two-run game-tying shot. Garrett Mitchell tracked the ball, leaped at the wall, and caught it on the warning track to rob Machado of the hit.
Trevor Megill struck out all three batters in the ninth inning to close out the game and secure the victory for Milwaukee. The result sends the Brewers to face the Dodgers in the NLCS for what will be Los Angeles' third consecutive appearance in that round.