Padres Face Uphill Battle in NLDS After Dropping First Two Games in Milwaukee

The San Diego Padres find themselves in a precarious 0-2 hole in the National League Division Series after suffering back-to-back gut-wrenching defeats in Milwaukee over the weekend.

"[We] could very easily be going home up 2-0. But the reality is, we're not," Padres first baseman Ty France admitted following Sunday's walk-off loss. "We have to go and have to win. No ifs, ands or buts. Got to play our best baseball now."

San Diego's offense has been virtually nonexistent, plating just five runs across the first two games. The team has gone a dismal 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 20 runners on base.

Unfortunately for the Padres, the challenge only intensifies on Tuesday.

Brewers Starting Pitcher for NLDS Game 3

Milwaukee will hand the ball to right-hander Dustin May for Game 3 on Tuesday. The former Los Angeles Dodger has historically pitched well against San Diego and has been particularly dominant this season.

In three starts versus the Padres this year—two with the St. Louis Cardinals and one with the Brewers—May allowed just three runs over 22 innings, good for a 1.23 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked only five.

"He's pitched fantastic against the Padres," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said when asked about his confidence in May for Game 3 despite a rough end to the year. "He's got experience and we brought him in to do that."

May didn't pitch more than three innings in any of his final three starts this season, posting an 8.59 ERA during that stretch. He hasn't appeared in the postseason since 2020 with the Dodgers.

Padres Starting Pitcher NLDS Game 3

As for the Padres, they'll counter with right-hander Nick Pivetta, who has looked sharp since returning from the injured list in September following a nearly five-month absence.

Pivetta recorded a 1.45 ERA over four starts (18.2 innings) to close out the regular season. He also pitched in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs, allowing one run over 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.

"I think our confidence in Nick goes back to last year. He had this great season that he had last year," Padres manager Craig Stammen said. "Pitched very well here once he came back from injury in September. And then had a solid start against the Cubs in the wild-card. He's been able to handle the moment. And we like his stuff. He's been a good pitcher for a lot of his career and especially here with the Padres."

When is Padres vs Brewers NLDS Game 3?

Game 3 of the San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers NLDS is Tuesday, Oct. 6. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET.

Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has extensively covered Southern California sports in his career. Noah is the publisher of Padres on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years.