San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen explained why closer Mason Miller remained in the game Sunday despite his struggles in the ninth inning. Miller, ordinarily one of the best pitchers in MLB, came in for the Padres in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS, and made quick work of his opponents before coming back into the game for the ninth. He encountered a little bit of trouble in the ninth inning, though, walking the bases loaded with two outs.
Despite the difficulty he encountered, Stammen left Miller in the game to face Jackson Chourio, who slapped a single into center field to score two runs and give the Brewers a 2-0 series lead heading to San Diego. "Going into the game, we were thinking of Mason for six outs anyway," Stammen said after the game. "Especially with how quick the eighth inning went for him, he was just battling the strike zone at the end." Miller had been lights out all season, posting a microscopic 1.67 ERA over the course of 70 innings pitched while striking out 129 batters.
He recorded an NL-leading 38 saves in 41 opportunities this season, but hadn't recorded a six-out save since his time with the Athletics in 2024. The Padres have quite the deficit to overcome following their loss on Sunday, as they need to win three games in a row in order to advance to the NLCS. Additionally, they're unlikely to have their best starter, Michael King, for either of the next two games as he recovers from his start in Game 2.
While they are facing an uphill battle, the Padres performed rather well against the Brewers at home this season. They swept them in a three-game series in the second half of the season, and could very well extend this series to five games if they play at the top of their game. They have to worry about Game 3 before Game 5, though and will look to begin their comeback in Game 3 behind Nick Pivetta on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.
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