MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio hit a two-run single off hard-throwing Mason Miller with two outs in the ninth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied past the San Diego Padres for the second straight day, a 4-3 victory Sunday for a 2-0 NL Division Series lead.
Miller entered with San Diego ahead 3-2, trying for his first six-out save since 2024. He retired the side in order in the eighth and, after a leadoff groundout in the ninth, issued his first career postseason walks to Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick.
Andrew Vaughn flied out and pinch hitter Gary Sánchez walked on a full count.
A night after sparking Milwaukee’s comeback with a tying, two-run homer in the third inning, the 22-year-old Chourio lined a 101.3 mph fastball up the middle and past second baseman Jake Cronenworth’s attempt for a diving backhand stop.
The ball bounced into center field as Yelich ran across the plate. Frelick slid in head first, easily beating center fielder Jackson Merrill’s throw.
San Diego, which entered the postseason with 20 wins in its last 23 games, has back-to-back losses for the first time since Sept. 1-2. The Padres will try to keep their season alive Tuesday when the best-of-five series resumes in San Diego.
Milwaukee is a win from a second straight NL Championship Series appearance as it chases its first World Series title.
Chourio also made a key defensive play in the opener when France hit a potential go-ahead homer in the ninth inning only for the ball to strike a cable on the roof of American Family Field and land in Chourio’s glove at the left-field warning track.
Miller, baseball’s top closer, threw 40 pitches — his most since 2023. He topped 100 mph with 18 pitches, the fastest a 103.5 mph offering that Chourio fouled.
Milwaukee didn’t have a baserunner against Padres starter Michael King until the fifth inning and matched a season high with three errors as San Diego scored a pair of unearned runs.
With the roof open Sunday, France hit an RBI single in the first and another a run-scoring single for a 3-1 lead in the seventh after third baseman David Hamilton bobbled Fernando Tatis Jr.’s grounder for an error.
Frelick had an RBI single in the fifth after Christian Yelich doubled.
Milwaukee closed to 3-2 in the seventh when Garrett Mitchell scored from third as Cronenworth bobbled Hamilton’s grounder and then threw past first for a double error.
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