The San Diego Padres returned to Petco Park once more to play the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The Padres live another day after a nail-biting victory against the Brewers. That win included a six-out save from Michael King to cap off the game. Of the experience, King noted his eagerness to compete for the team regardless of rest. “I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don’t want to save,” said King.

In any case, the Padres face another do-or-die situation. At this point, all other teams have already clinched spots in their respective championship series. The Padres’ only hope was to force a game 5.

Walker Buehler started the Padres by getting three quick outs. The Padres, meanwhile, loaded the bases on two outs almost immediately; still, they could not take advantage of this favorable situation. Such has been the mantra of this series against the Brew Crew. This isn’t the first time the Padres have struggled with RISP. Once upon a time, the Padres were the worst offense in baseball and could not seem to recover. A red-hot post-ASB offense changed the narrative completely and ultimately propelled the Padres into the playoffs.

However, despite looks in the Wildcard round against the Chicago Cubs, the Padres have seemingly regressed to their old ways. That said, the Brewers are the best team in baseball, record-wise anyway.

Buehler surrendered a run in the third inning. Fernando Tatis Jr., who had been relatively quiet this series, responded with a solo home run right after.

Super El Niño 🔥 https://t.co/K5ev3Y1CDA

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 8, 2026

Buehler’s night ended in the fourth with one runner on. Robbie Ray came in for relief. The Padres were officially all hands on deck.

Former Padres prospect Robert Gasser would end up going four innings of one-run ball, striking out three Padres.

The Padres bullpen surrendered two more runs after Buehler left. Giving the Brewers the largest lead they’ve taken this entire series, 3-1.

By the sixth inning, the Padres’ bullpen looked completely shot. Mason Miller, who was only on the paternity list for a single day, came back immediately after the birth of his first child. Miller entered the game in the seventh inning. This has never happened before in 2026. In a way, something of a grim reminder of the current state of Padres pitching.

Meanwhile, the well-rested Brewers bullpen continued to sit out, with Aaron Ashby handling three innings for the Brewers.

The Padres would see a number of men get on base outside of the first inning. However, they seemed unable to convert on these scoring opportunities.

Joe Musgrove entered in the ninth to secure two very clean scoreless innings. Something of a break from the monotony of previous outings.

With three outs left and the middle part of their lineup coming up, for many, it felt like the beginning of the end.

The worst fears were answered after the combined efforts of Ethan Salas, Xander Bogaerts, and Gavin Sheets could not even reach base. The very last hit the Padres recorded was the Tatis Jr. homer in the third inning.

The Padres have gone to the playoffs 5 times since 2020 and have yet to reach the World Series.

Fabian Garcia