MILWAUKEE -- Two tight games in the National League Division Series have the Brewers on the cusp of advancing and the Padres hoping to somehow, some way, hang on to avoid elimination.
The Brewers emerged with a 4-3 walk-off win on Sunday in Game 2, giving them a 2-0 series lead heading to San Diego for Game 3 on Tuesday.
"Both these games could have gone either way," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. "This series is far from over. We’ve got to continue to play well."
Despite being another low-scoring game that was decided late, there were plenty of storylines to keep up with. Here are four of the most prominent and how they could affect the rest of the series.
1. There are no sure things …
Padres closer Mason Miller was close to airtight, with 38 saves in 41 chances during the regular season. One thing Miller lacked was a six-out save, and the Brewers proved Sunday that the flamethrowing All-Star is not automatic.
Miller cruised through a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts, but then he labored against Milwaukee's patient hitters in the ninth, with three walks before blowing a save in a walk-off result for the first time in 2026.
"Terrible. I didn’t do my job today," said Miller, whose 40 pitches were the most he's thrown in an appearance as a Padre. "Instead of being here with a win and the series tied, we’re in a hole. So it feels pretty bad."
It was the second straight game that the Brewers got to the back end of the Padres' bullpen. On Saturday, their primary setup man, Adrian Morejon, threw 31 pitches over two innings and was the losing pitcher when the lefty surrendered William Contreras' tiebreaking homer in the seventh.
Monday's off-day gives Miller and Morejon a chance to reset, and manager Craig Stammen was able to give other leverage arms like Jason Adam a day off. But all of San Diego’s relievers will have to be at their sharpest to force three more games and secure an improbable series win.
2 … Unless you're Jackson Chourio
Upon watching Yelich and Sal Frelick draw back-to-back one-out walks against Miller and pinch-hitter Gary Sánchez walk with two outs, Jackson Chourio met the moment once again. After laying off a 2-2 slider from Miller, Chourio lined a 101.3 mph fastball for a two-run single to center field to end it.
"Watching those at-bats beforehand, I knew that [Miller] was a little erratic," Chourio said via translator Daniel de Mondesert. "I knew he was going to come at me with the fastball at some point, so mentally I was just making sure that I was prepared for that."
Remember, Chourio is still only 22 years old. Already, he has the most game-tying or go-ahead RBIs in Milwaukee postseason history with eight. He is second all-time for the franchise behind Ryan Braun with 15 postseason RBIs, which is also second in MLB history behind Andruw Jones for a player before turning 23.
"He's starting to realize how he has to play the game. As talented as he is, he's still learning the game," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He's, I think, turning into a bona fide top-flight player. Couldn't be happier for him because he brings it every day."
3. No guarantees the Brewers will advance in San Diego
The Brewers are one win away from reaching the NL Championship Series. But if any team is positioned to extend the series to five games, it’s the Padres, as the series shifts to Petco Park. Their .630 win percentage (51-30) at home in the regular season was tied for fourth best in MLB this season.
"It's a big challenge. They're a great team," Stammen said. "You saw how hard they battled us here in Milwaukee. But we like where we are when we play at home. We can defend our home field and then hopefully have a chance to [make] a return trip back to Milwaukee, which would be real nice this fall."
Home cooking loomed large with some crazy moments during the first two games. A potential go-ahead home run by France that bounced off a cable under the American Family Field roof turned into a ninth-inning out in Game 1. Then there was the Game 2 thriller with a blown ninth-inning lead in front of a raucous Brewers crowd.
For Game 3, and potentially a Game 4 on Wednesday, it will be just as loud at Petco Park.
"Playing in front of our home fans, everybody’s super excited, for sure," Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth said. "This group has been battle tested for the last few months. I wouldn’t pick a better group to have our backs against the wall."
4. Defensive breakdowns
As closely matched as these teams are, the team with the cleanest defense could be the difference between advancing or going home.
The Brewers realize they stole a game after tying a season high with three errors, which happened only twice in the regular season. That included two errors in the fifth inning.
The last time Milwaukee's defense had a three-error game? It was Aug. 11, in San Diego.
"We gave up all those free bases, and we're lucky to stay in the game," Murphy said. "And I attribute our pitching staff making quality pitches to keep us in those games. But it's not like us to make those errors."
The Padres were charged with two errors on Sunday. In the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on the corners, David Hamilton hit a grounder to second baseman Cronenworth, who bobbled the ball before throwing it away to make it a one-run game.
"Both teams are built with good defenses and also with some speed on the offensive side. It forces mistakes, but it also can show some really, really good plays," Stammen said. "They made some great plays. We made some great plays. A couple they probably want back, a couple we want back.
"But in the end, it was a tightly contested game. They had to walk us off to beat us. So a good game overall.”