Leading the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday in Game 2 of their National League Division Series, San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen made the move he needed to, bringing in closer Mason Miller for a six-out save.
Already trailing the best-of-five series 1-0, the Padres were six outs away from evening the series before heading home for Games 3 and 4. Miller retired the Brewers in the eighth to take a one-run lead into the ninth inning.
However, things fell apart in the bottom of the ninth. Miller walked the bases loaded around a pair of outs before allowing a game-winning two-run single to Jackson Chourio as Milwaukee walked off San Diego, 4-3, for a commanding 2-0 series lead. After the game, Miller took the blame for his club being on the brink of elimination.
San Diego Padres Closer Mason Miller Drops Blunt Quote After Game 2 Loss
Miller, who usually has good command, struggled in the bottom of the ninth. He walked Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick with one out. After getting a fly-ball for the second out, Miller walked Gary Sanchez before Chourio delivered his game-winning hit.
“I didn’t do my job today,” Miller said, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “Instead of being here with a win and the series tied, we’re in a hole.”
Miller threw 40 pitches, but just 21 for strikes. How big was the blown save by Miller? According to Cassavell, teams in the Division Series who fall behind 2-0 have won just 10 of 93 series. Despite going home, the Padres face an uphill climb against a Brewers club that won 103 regular season games. San Diego has gone 53-30 this season to date at home.
“It’s a big challenge,” said Stammen, per Cassavell. “They’re a great team. You saw how hard they battled us here in Milwaukee. But we like where we are when we play at home.”
Stammen is scheduled to send Nick Pivetta to the mound in Game 3 against Dustin May, looking to extend their season at least one more game.
Mason Miller Sends Message Before Game 3 in San Diego
Despite going home and being on the brink of being sent home for the winter, Miller is confident that his team will bounce back at Petco Park. They swept the Chicago Cubs there last week in the National League wild-card series.
“The series isn’t over,” Miller said, per Cassavell. “We’ve got another shot to play in two days. We wouldn’t be in this position — in this series — if we hadn’t been able to move past difficulties and challenges. That goes for the group. But that’s also going to go for the individual — for me.
“We have the ability to turn the page and trust that I’ve had a lot more success than I’ve had failure this year. Just control what I can control. Today, that’s obviously putting guys on base.”
San Diego could easily be up 2-0 rather than trailing 2-0 heading home. However, they are in a deficit with their backs against the wall against the best MLB team, record-wise. Miller will be looking for a chance at redemption at some point; it’s just a matter of whether or not his club can scratch out enough runs to give him that opportunity.
San Diego Padres Closer Mason Miller Drops Blunt Quote After Blowing Game 2 Save