SAN DIEGO, Calif. — There were hugs, high-fives and plenty of sadness inside the Padres clubhouse following their 3-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLDS.
Their season came to an abrupt end after falling behind 2-0 in the series in heartbreaking fashion. The Padres believed they could flip the script in San Diego and force a return trip to Milwaukee, but that wouldn’t happen.
There was plenty of hope before and during Wednesday night’s game, but the ball just didn’t bounce San Diego’s way. Instead, the Padres looked like a team that had run out of gas.
Since mid-July, the Padres had been telling the media they were in playoff mode, trying to overcome a 50-53 start to the season. They powered their way to a 41-18 finish, earning a postseason berth and giving themselves a chance to compete for a championship.
But everything fell flat in their most crucial game of the season.
“Every baseball season ends very abruptly when you’re in the playoffs, sooner than you want typically,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “Only one team gets to win it in the end. Unfortunately, this year it wasn’t our chance.”
In Game 4, when the Padres desperately needed to resemble the team that went 41-18 down the stretch and quickly dispatched the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round, they instead looked like the team that started 50-53.
The offense struggled to produce runs, and mistakes proved costly.
The game brought back memories of Game 4 of the 2024 NLDS, when the Padres held a 2-1 series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego was shut out as Los Angeles cruised to an 8-0 victory to even the series.
The Dodgers would go on to win Game 5, holding the Padres to two hits in a 2-0 victory to eliminate San Diego.
“It sucks,” Padres pitcher Michael King said. “It’s a good group in here, and a couple things didn’t fall our way throughout the whole series.”
One moment from Wednesday night’s loss stood out to nearly every player inside the clubhouse.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Petco Park erupted as fans chanted Manny Machado’s name. With Fernando Tatis Jr. on first base and the Padres trailing by two runs, Machado drove a ball deep toward center field.
For a moment, it appeared the Padres had tied the game.
But Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell made a leaping catch at the wall, robbing Machado of a potential game-tying home run as fans reached around his glove.
It was a play that could have changed everything for San Diego.
“Just unfortunate, man,” Machado said. “Nice play. Should have hit it harder.”
“I thought Manny’s ball was going out tonight, you know,” Padres GM AJ Preller said.
“It is a tough one to swallow,” Tatis said.
“I’m still shocked Manny’s ball wasn’t a homer,” King said.
Oct 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) catches a ball hit by San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (not pictured) at the wall during the eighth inning in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.
Oct 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) catches a ball hit by San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (not pictured) at the wall during the eighth inning in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.
Everyone seemed to share the same disbelief. When Mitchell came down with the baseball, he took the air and hope out of Petco Park.
Those types of moments haunted the Padres throughout the series.
In Game 1, Ty France was involved in a controversial play when a ball struck the stadium roof and was ruled an out. In Game 2, Jackson Chourio delivered a walk-off, two-run single off Mason Miller. Then came Machado’s potential game-tying home run in Game 4 that never made it over the wall.
“We had opportunities there, and we just didn’t really come up with the clutch hit. They did,” Machado said. “That’s just how the series came around.”
The Padres have experienced stretches when their offense disappears, and Wednesday night was another example.
San Diego had an opportunity to set the tone in the first inning but failed to capitalize.
After Tatis fouled out to first base, Jackson Merrill singled before Machado reached on a bunt, sprinting down the first-base line to beat the throw.
Two of San Diego’s best hitters were aboard early.
France grounded out, advancing Merrill to third and Machado to second, giving Xander Bogaerts an opportunity to drive in the game’s first runs.
Bogaerts, who hit .322 in September, popped out to end the threat.
Scoring early could have changed the complexion of the game. Instead, Milwaukee escaped the inning without allowing a run, giving starting pitcher Robert Gasser an early boost.
The Brewers broke through in the top of the third inning.
Sal Frelick reached on an infield hit after Jake Cronenworth made a diving stop but couldn’t secure the baseball. Frelick immediately stole second base, beating Luis Campusano’s throw.
Mitchell then connected on Walker Buehler’s fifth pitch of the at-bat, sending a single up the middle toward Merrill. The ball slowly rolled into center field, allowing Frelick to race home and give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Tatis connected on a four-seam fastball from Gasser and launched it 429 feet over the wall for his second home run of the postseason.
It was his first homer since his opening swing of the NL Wild Card round and tied the game at 1-1.
But Milwaukee quickly regained control.
Buehler ran into trouble in the top of the fourth after allowing a single to William Contreras and walking Jake Bauers. Stammen turned to Robbie Ray, who escaped the inning when Frelick grounded out.
Stammen elected to keep Ray on the mound for the fifth inning, but Mitchell attacked his second pitch and drove it down the right-field line, past a diving France, for a triple.
There was some question about whether the ball was fair, but the umpire ruled it fair.
Jackson Chourio then delivered a single to center field on Bradgley Rodriguez’s second pitch, bringing Mitchell home to give Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.
The Brewers added another run in the sixth inning.
Jason Adam entered and quickly surrendered a single to Bauers, followed by a ground-rule double to Cooper Pratt.
Frelick then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Bauers to score and extend Milwaukee’s lead to 3-1.
Adam escaped without allowing further damage, but the Padres were running out of opportunities.
Oct 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) celebrates with Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) after scoring a run during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.
Oct 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) celebrates with Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) after scoring a run during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.
Their offense continued to struggle in the bottom of the sixth. Machado grounded out, France walked, and Austin Hays grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Frustration began to build inside Petco Park, with fans growing restless and some beginning to boo.
At that point, San Diego had managed only three hits. One was Tatis’ home run, while the other two came from Merrill and Machado in the first inning.
“We played a pretty good series and just didn’t end up on the right side of the scoreboard,” Stammen said. “We played to our standard.”
Stammen turned to closer Mason Miller in the seventh inning.
Miller retired Chourio on a lineout and struck out Christian Yelich, but Milwaukee threatened after Contreras and Brice Turang singled before Bauers walked to load the bases.
Miller escaped the jam when Pratt lined out, keeping the deficit at two runs.
The problem remained San Diego’s offense, which couldn’t match Milwaukee’s production. By that point, the Brewers had collected ten hits.
The Padres went quietly again in the bottom of the seventh.
Bogaerts grounded out, and Campusano struck out before Miguel Andújar entered as a pinch hitter for Cronenworth and drew a walk. Samad Taylor struck out looking to end the inning.
“From pitch one to the last pitch, it was it was a well contested, super intense series,” Preller said. “Could have gone either way. You know, obviously had a couple a couple big pitches, a couple big swings that didn’t quite go our way… it’s a great team over there, and we didn’t we didn’t do quite enough to put ourselves in position to advance.”
One of Stammen’s more interesting decisions came in the eighth inning when he turned to Joe Musgrove.
Musgrove retired all three batters he faced, recording two strikeouts and a groundout.
His performance raised a question: Why was this his first appearance since Game 1 of the Wild Card round?
Musgrove returned for the ninth inning and again kept Milwaukee off the scoreboard. He hit Yelich with a pitch but otherwise worked through the inning without allowing any damage.
“For me personally, I didn’t get to contribute a whole lot on the field this year, so I feel like I’m just getting started with my year, and it’s it’s coming to an end,” Musgrove said. “So that’ll take a few days to get over.”
It was another pitching decision worth questioning in a series filled with them.
“He was available today and could have came in and could have been in that, where Jason Adam pitched and found some of the lefties,” Stammen explained his pitching decisions. “I probably could have used Mason a little earlier and possibly use him for more than one inning, and I thought Adrian could close the game out. So we needed to save him. We needed somebody back there to save the game, and the way we were going through the relievers, there wasn’t a ton left. Everyone pretty much did their job. We gave up three runs in a nine-inning ballgame. That’s not too shabby.”
While the pitching staff held Milwaukee to three runs, the offense never found a way to respond.
Now, the Padres enter an offseason filled with uncertainty.
Oct 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) reacts after hitting a fly ball that was caught at the wall during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.
Oct 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) reacts after hitting a fly ball that was caught at the wall during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.
San Diego’s new ownership group, led by Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano, will have several important decisions to make. They walked around the clubhouse giving each player a hug and thanking them.
One of those questions involves rookie manager Craig Stammen, whose pitching decisions throughout the Brewers series could face scrutiny.
The Padres also have several important roster decisions looming, with players such as France, Adam and Adrian Morejón facing uncertain futures. King also has an opportunity to opt out of his contract this offseason.
For Morejón, the possibility of leaving San Diego was an emotional subject.
“I feel sad because I don’t want to say goodbye, but you know it’s business,” Morejón said with tears in his eyes. “Let’s see what happens during the offseason. I told my agent I wanna stay here, but you know it’s not my decision right now. So let’s see what happens during this offseason.”
There is also the reality that the Padres’ championship window isn’t getting any younger.
Machado and Bogaerts will both turn 35 next season, with the third baseman owed $39.9 million and the shortstop owed $25.4 million.
“We expect some moves in the off season,” Musgrove said. “Revamp the group. Get the pieces that we need, and come back and make another run.”
Milwaukee will now have a few days to rest before hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS at American Family Field on Sunday, October 11.
A team that overcame a 50-53 start, surged through the final two months of the regular season and entered October believing it could make a championship run will instead spend the offseason wondering what could have been.
For Machado, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to bring a championship to San Diego, the disappointment was evident.
“It burns,” Machado said. “You know, it’s pain. This team, you know. We fought all year. We dealt with a lot as a group. Overcame a lot. I mean, it stings right now for sure. But at the same time, proud of these guys.”
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