SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers still can't win on the road in October.
The Brewers ran their postseason losing streak away from home to 12 games dating to 2018 when they couldn't close out the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, losing 4-3 in Game 3 of their National League Division Series.
Click to Gallery
San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill, left, Michael King and Ethan Salas, right, celebrate a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, right, talks with home plate umpire Alfonso Márquez (72) during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich singles during the second inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich follows through on a RBI single during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio reacts after striking out during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
After compiling the best record in the majors this season at 103-59, the NL Central champion Brewers still lead the best-of-five matchup 2-1 and get another chance to clinch it Wednesday night. But they had plenty of opportunities to end the series without having to play another game at hot, packed and loud Petco Park.
The 12 straight postseason road losses ties the big league record set by the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise from 1925-87. The Brewers dropped to 6-24 on the road overall in their postseason history, the worst such record in the majors.
Then again, the Brewers have lost to some pretty good teams during the streak.
“It’s tough to win on the road in playoff situations, obviously,” manager Pat Murphy said. “We’ve done a pretty good job at home, I’d say, but you’re right. It’s never fun. We lost to the Nationals, right? You’re going back to the Nationals. They won the World Series."
That was in 2019.
And then there were the Los Angeles Dodgers during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
“Dodgers did pretty good that year, too. They won the World Series, right?" Murphy said. "They went to the World Series, right? Who else did we lose to, the Braves? They won it. Those are some pretty good teams. I wouldn’t beat up the old Brewers if you don’t mind. I know you’re looking to. That’s fun.”
Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich doesn't think it's unfathomable the losing streak has reached a dozen.
"Not really. I mean, this team has one person playing from 2018, so that’s really no effect on this group.”
Yelich did get his first playoff RBI since 2018 with a seventh-inning single.
“I'm just focused about trying to help the team win," he said.
With runners on first and second and one out in the ninth inning, Yelich hit a ball 107 mph off Michael King, the Padres' Game 2 starter, but Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts turned it into a game-ending double play.
King pitched the final two innings on one day of rest.
“I’m proud of our guys for battling. King made some great pitches," Yelich said. "They got some outs in some big spots, and we put together great at-bats there in the eighth, ninth innings, and just gave ourselves a ton of chances. And we just didn’t get that one big hit. Would have changed some things. You’ve got to flush it and come back ready to go tomorrow.”
The Brewers outhit the Padres 11-6 but stranded 11 runners.
The sellout crowd of 47,708 was the third-largest in Petco Park history.
“It's like 40 of us vs. 50,000, but it's fun, man,” second baseman Brice Turang said. “It's fun to play like this and this is what we play for. We play for times like this. We've just got to go out there and trust each other and trust ourselves and keep playing winning baseball and things will work out.”
Turang said the Brewers had some good at-bats.
“If you watch the games, just the quality of at-bats,” he said. "I keep saying it, but it’s true. I think these guys have had something to work off of and something to keep pushing forward. The competitiveness that this clubhouse has is great. You just take the positives after tonight and you go try to win tomorrow.”
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill, left, Michael King and Ethan Salas, right, celebrate a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, right, talks with home plate umpire Alfonso Márquez (72) during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich singles during the second inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich follows through on a RBI single during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio reacts after striking out during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — When right-hander Michael King dramatically emerged from the bullpen in a darkened Petco Park to pitch in the eighth inning of Game 3 just two days after he made a five-inning start in Game 2, the San Diego Padres' desperate determination to extend their season was clear.
The relentless Milwaukee Brewers are making that job awfully difficult — but after three scintillating, one-run playoff games packed with pressure moments, extraordinary plays and hero turns in this NL Division Series, the Padres are still fighting for at least another day.
Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking homer, King pitched the final two innings on one day of rest and the Padres avoided playoff elimination with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night, trimming Milwaukee's lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1.
“It feels like we've played three straight games against the Brewers like that,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. “We finally were able to come out on the right end of things in this one. A lot of big effort from a lot of guys during the game to get us to the final score.”
Xander Bogaerts scored San Diego's fourth run on a hustle play in the sixth and then capped his team's stellar defensive performance with a game-ending double play at shortstop for the Padres, who hung on in a nail-biter over the MLB-best Brewers. This is the first playoff series since the 2021 National League Championship Series to begin with three straight one-run decisions.
“Can’t do much about the first two games, but all three games have been really good baseball,” Bogaerts said. “Once tomorrow comes, let’s go for it, but right now let’s enjoy this one, because this was a really good one.”
Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park. If necessary, Game 5 will be back in Milwaukee on Friday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado drove in early runs for the Padres, but their bullpen didn’t have star closer Mason Miller, who went on the paternity list about 45 minutes before the first pitch. San Diego also didn't have top setup man Adrian Morejon, who has shoulder “stickiness,” according to Stammen.
So despite pitching 12 innings in two starts over the previous seven days, King stepped up and finished it off — but only after a thrilling ninth.
The right-hander retired four of his first five batters before walking William Contreras and Brice Turang. Christian Yelich then cracked a 107 mph line drive up the middle, where Bogaerts went down to his knees to field it on a short hop and scampered to touch second base before throwing out Yelich at first to end it.
“I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don’t want to save,” King said. “If you’re in an elimination game, you want everybody to be all in on it, and ... we have a bunch of dogs down there that are all in.”
King — who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the Wild Card Series opener against the Chicago Cubs a week ago — earned his first save since 2023, his first in the postseason and his first for the Padres.
The Padres had won 19 of 22 and swept the Cubs before losing two straight heartbreakers in Milwaukee last weekend.
Contreras homered and had three hits for the Brewers, who lost their 12th consecutive postseason road game dating to the 2018 NLCS.
Yelich even got his first playoff RBI since 2018 with a seventh-inning single, but Milwaukee fell behind early and never led, leaving 11 runners on base.
“That’s part of baseball,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “When you’re facing a good team with a good pitching staff, that’s part of it. We didn’t get the big hit at the big time, but do you fault Yelly for hitting one 107 there and Bogaerts making a great play? They've got a great team, and they played great defense tonight.”
Neither starter excelled on a tense, uncommonly hot October night in downtown San Diego. Nick Pivetta yielded two runs and five hits while pitching into the fifth for the Padres, and Dustin May got pulled abruptly with a 1-0 count on Bogaerts and a runner aboard in the fourth.
Cooper Pratt tied it for Milwaukee right after Pivetta’s exit when Dustin Harris couldn’t throw him out on Jackson Chourio’s 242-foot sacrifice fly. It was the fifth RBI of the series for the 22-year-old Chourio and his 16th in 15 career postseason games, already tying Ryan Braun for the franchise record.
Cronenworth lined JoJo Romero’s first pitch of the fifth over the wall in right for only his second hit of the postseason.
Bogaerts likely saved at least one run in the fifth when he dived to keep Contreras' single in the infield with two runners on.
Bogaerts then singled in the sixth, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Pratt bounced his throw from shortstop for an error after Miguel Andujar’s broken bat came flying toward him along with the grounder.
Yelich singled home Contreras for his first playoff RBI since he homered in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS against the Dodgers — a span of 87 plate appearances over 19 games.
Walker Buehler will start Game 4 for the Padres after making 32 starts in a resurgent season for the former Dodgers star. The Brewers hadn't announced a starting pitcher, but Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick are all available after starting a combined 45 games this season.
A previous version of this story corrected that King started Game 2, not Game 1.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
San Diego Padres pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez celebrates after striking out Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell to end the top of the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio reacts after striking out during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King throws during the eighth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres' Samad Taylor, right, celebrates as teammate Xander Bogaerts (2) scores during the sixth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres pitcher Yuki Matsui celebrates after getting Milwaukee Brewers' Brice Turang to ground out with the bases loaded to end the top of the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Cooper Pratt, right, scores past San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Cooper Pratt scores during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth, right, is congratulated by teammate Jackson Merrill (3) after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
