The Brewers are off to a strong start in the playoffs

After patiently waiting for their opponent in the first round of the playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers took advantage of the extra rest to hand the San Diego Padres a 3-2 loss in their Division Series opener.

The outcome of the game could have been very different had it not been for a controversial call by the umpires, who ruled that a hit by Ty France in the ninth inning was an out even though the ball was heading well over the fence before hitting the roof of American Family Field and falling directly into the glove of Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio. With the rules being what they are, the Brewers took advantage of the situation to take the lead in the series.

All of the Brewers' runs came from home runs. Jackson Chourio smashed a two-run shot in the third inning off Padres starter Robbie Ray. Catcher William Contreras, meanwhile, hit a solo home run in the seventh inning off reliever Adrian Morejon.

On the mound, in his first career playoff start, Jacob Misiorowski once again pitched a gem, striking out six batters over four innings of work. He left the mound after allowing two runs on four hits and one walk. DL Hall was credited with the win, while Trevor Megill earned his first save of the 2026 postseason.

The Padres, who defeated the Chicago Cubs in the first round, will turn to Michael King this afternoon for the second game of this series. Logan Henderson, who was excellent during the regular season for the Brewers, will try to give his team a 2-0 lead.

Remember that the division series in each league is a best-of-five series. The first team to win three games advances to the next round—the league championship series. The Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the other two teams still in contention in the National League.

On offense for the Padres, Dustin Harris and Manny Machado led the way with two hits in four at-bats. The Padres scored 12 runs over two games as they defeated the Chicago Cubs in their previous series. Craig Stammen's team is capable of scoring runs, and the Brewers' pitchers will need to be cautious.

Coming off a 103-win season, the Milwaukee Brewers can't take anything for granted in this matchup, as the San Diego Padres also had a strong season, finishing 20 games above .500. Both teams fully deserve their spots in the division series and prove just how competitive the National League was in 2026.

It remains to be seen whether the Padres can find the key to defeating a highly motivated Brewers team masterfully led by Pat Murphy.

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