MILWAUKEE -- The Padres have tabbed right-hander Nick Pivetta to start Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Brewers on Tuesday in San Diego, manager Craig Stammen announced.

MILWAUKEE – For Game 2 of the National League Division Series, it's about as close to must-win as it gets for the Padres. But couldn't the same thing be said for the Brewers, even after they came away with a 3-2 win in a thrilling Game 1?

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers had the best record in baseball this season. The Padres finished as the hottest team in baseball. Their National League Division Series was always likely to be decided by the slimmest of margins. Like, a cable on the roof of American Family Field. Seriously. In the

MILWAUKEE -- In their heart of hearts, the Padres would almost certainly have signed up for a split in Milwaukee this weekend. Petco Park has been a fortress this year. Win just one of the first two games of this National League Division Series at American Family Field, and you

MILWAUKEE – The Padres certainly didn’t see the best of MLB’s top regular-season team in 2026. When the Brewers visited San Diego in August, they squandered a seventh-inning lead in the opener, got blown out in Game 2 and then lost leads in the eighth inning and again in the

MILWAUKEE -- Officially, the Padres’ National League Division Series roster is unchanged from the group that swept the Cubs in the Wild Card Series earlier this week.

MILWAUKEE – The Padres have plenty of postseason experience dotting their starting rotation. The Brewers have Jacob Misiorowski.

MILWAUKEE -- It took Fernando Tatis Jr. 239 plate appearances before his first home run this year. He endlessly tinkered with his stance and mechanics. He grinded in the batting cage. All the while, the Padres struggled. In the postseason? Tatis homered on the very first pitch. He got a

For the first time in franchise history, the Padres have reached the postseason in three straight years. They’re making September clinch celebrations a habit. As with any postseason clinch, a number of questions follow about the days and weeks ahead. Here’s what you need to know:

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres’ Wild Card Series roster plan worked to absolute perfection. Nearly everybody contributed (aside from the Game 3 starter candidates, and, hey, after a two-game sweep of the Cubs, we’ll never know who that would’ve been).

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres made sure this year was different. The 2025 iteration of this National League Wild Card Series in Chicago left a sour taste in San Diego’s mouth, and rightfully so. An already struggling lineup flatlined. There were virtually no big moments. They didn’t have a raucous

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres spent September as the hottest team in baseball, surging into the postseason and securing a Wild Card Series at Petco Park. Gavin Sheets spent most of the month in a walking boot.

SAN DIEGO – If history tells us anything … this series isn’t finished. Not even close. The Padres and Cubs have met twice before in the postseason and both times -- the 1984 NLCS and last year’s NL Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field -- the series went the distance.

SAN DIEGO -- They packed Petco Park anticipating a party in the Gaslamp on Tuesday night. The Cubs could do little to stop it. The Padres wouldn't let it end.

SAN DIEGO -- It was already just about a perfect San Diego night. Michael King flirted with a no-hitter. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts had all gone deep. The Padres were steamrolling the Cubs, on their way to an 8-0 victory in Game 1 of the National

SAN DIEGO -- Last postseason, the Padres and Cubs staged a tense and dramatic Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field. They were separated by a single run across three games in the type of series that left you wanting more.

SAN DIEGO -- The last time Joe Musgrove took the mound for the Padres, he was pitching them into the 2024 National League Division Series. Starting Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against Atlanta, Musgrove tore the UCL in his right elbow and required Tommy John surgery, keeping him

SAN DIEGO -- Ethan Salas is a 20-year-old who appears destined to catch for the Padres in the postseason. And if you’re wondering just how rare it is for a player that young to be catching games that important …

SAN DIEGO -- The 2025 Padres season just sort of … fizzled out. They struggled down the stretch, then arrived in Chicago for the National League Wild Card Series and lost to the Cubs in three games.

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres earned the right to a stress-free afternoon on Sunday. In late July, they sat in 11th place in the National League, three games below .500. The playoffs seemed a distant goal. Then, they reeled off a 41-18 finish -- a stretch so emphatic that they

SAN DIEGO -- For a second straight postseason, the Padres and Cubs will meet in the National League Wild Card Series. This time, it’ll be at Petco Park.

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres made a series of roster moves with major implications for their postseason roster ahead of Saturday’s game against the Diamondbacks: • RHP Casey Mize landed on the 15-day IL with a right ankle sprain • INF/OF/DH Gavin Sheets was reinstated from the IL after missing

SAN DIEGO -- In April, the Padres and Diamondbacks split two games in Mexico City. They split four in San Diego in July, then four more in Arizona in August. At the end of that early-August showdown, Padres manager Craig Stammen made an astute observation: “We've played these guys pretty

LOS ANGELES -- No, it isn’t getting old. For the first five decades of their existence, the Padres reached the postseason a grand total of five times. With a 4-2 win over the Dodgers on Friday at Dodger Stadium, they’re now going back to the postseason for a fifth time

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.