SAN DIEGO (AP) — Although the San Diego Padres have plenty of concerns in the face of playoff elimination, they don't believe Mason Miller tipping his pitches is one of them.
Padres manager Craig Stammen dismissed the widespread online speculation after Game 2 of the NL Division Series that the Milwaukee Brewers could tell what was coming from San Diego's vaunted closer when they rallied for two runs and a 4-3 victory in the ninth inning.
“We’ve got a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day,” Stammen said Monday at Petco Park. “That is their sole job. We’re well aware of what’s going on with our pitchers, well aware of what’s going on with the Brewers pitchers and how they do things. It’s part of our daily (regimen). The internet can go crazy and take things farther than they need to go. We feel good about our process within that situation.”
But the Padres are still smarting from Miller's blown save, which put them in an 0-2 series hole.
The All-Star closer threw only 21 of his 40 pitches for strikes over his two innings. The disciplined Brewers repeatedly laid off his sliders and errant fastballs while stringing together three walks in the ninth, followed by Jackson Chourio's two-out, two-strike, two-run single that won the game.
While Stammen didn't flat-out confirm the Padres are sure Miller wasn't tipping pitches, the manager downplayed the importance of the whole discussion.
“We’ve got a lot of guys on top of it, and we’re not really worried about it,” he said.
Even while facing a possible quick end to their 91-win season, the Padres can take confidence from the fact they were one strike away from splitting the first two games with the majors' best regular-season team.
Heck, many fans believe they were one strike and one roof cable away from claiming two wins in Milwaukee.
Instead, the Padres are on the brink of winter as they welcome the Brewers to Petco, where San Diego was largely outstanding all season. Game 3 is Tuesday night.
“It’s not an easy job,” Padres slugger Manny Machado said. “It’s a tough road. You’ve got to deal with a lot of adversity. Here we are once again with our backs against the wall. We’ve overcome it once, and we can do it again — and we’re going to do it again.”
Game 3 starters
Nick Pivetta takes the mound for the Padres in their must-win game, and the veteran right-hander is grateful to be in this situation after he missed nearly five months of the regular season with a right elbow injury. San Diego's opening-day starter didn't pitch in the majors between April 12 and Sept. 7 while working his way back.
Pivetta believes the Padres have a roster capable of pulling off a comeback that's been managed by only 10 of the 93 MLB teams to fall behind 0-2 in a best-of-five series.
“We have a bunch of professionals in this room, a lot of really great players who have played in amazing games, who have World Series rings, that you can rely on in these moments,” said Pivetta, who pitched one-run ball into the fourth inning of their Wild Card Series-clinching win over the Cubs last week. “Just coming together as a group is what I look forward to, and seeing us succeed as a group is going to be very special.”
Dustin May starts Game 3 for Milwaukee, and the Padres' veterans know him better than most starters thanks to his several years with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
San Diego has faced May in 16 previous appearances since 2019. May faced the Padres three previous times this season, even throwing a one-hitter against San Diego for the Cardinals in June.
“We’ve had some history with May, but we’ve got to stick to our strengths, stick to what we’ve been doing,” Machado said. “Ultimately it’s about getting that big hit in those big moments, and if we can, we’ll be all right.”
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