Padres avoid elimination, beat Brewers 4-3 in NLDS Game 3 with Cronenworth's HR, King's relief

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking homer, Game 1 starter Michael King pitched the final two innings and the San Diego Padres avoided playoff elimination with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of their NL Division Series on Tuesday night.

Xander Bogaerts turned a game-ending double play at shortstop for the Padres, who trimmed Milwaukee’s lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1 with a tense, back-and-forth victory over the MLB-best Brewers.

Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park. If necessary, Game 5 will be back in Milwaukee on Friday.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado drove in early runs for the Padres, but their bullpen didn’t have star closer Mason Miller , who went on the paternity list about 45 minutes before the first pitch. King stepped up after pitching five innings just two days ago and finished it off — but only after a thrilling ninth.

King retired four of his first five batters, but William Contreras and Brice Turang drew one-out walks in the ninth. Christian Yelich then cracked a line drive up the middle, but Bogaerts went down to his knees to field it on a short hop and scampered to touch second before throwing out Yelich at first to end it.

King earned his first save since 2023, his first in the postseason and his first for the Padres.

Contreras homered and had three hits for the Brewers, who lost their 12th consecutive postseason road game in a streak dating to the 2018 NL Championship Series.

Yelich even got his first playoff RBI since 2018 with a seventh-inning single, but Milwaukee fell behind early and never led, leaving 11 runners on base.

Neither team had announced its Game 4 starter.

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