The San Diego Padres managed to keep their season alive in Game 3 of the NLDS, but they are still facing a difficult reality heading into Game 4: Fernando Tatis Jr. has to start looking like Fernando Tatis Jr. again.

San Diego avoided elimination with a win at home Tuesday night, but it took a team effort to get there without its superstar providing the type of offensive production the Padres desperately need. Tatis did record an RBI, but it came on a slow ground ball that allowed Samad Taylor to score. It was enough to help San Diego win, but hardly the kind of impact performance the Padres need from their best player.

Through the first three games of the NLDS, Tatis has just one hit, one run scored, and one RBI. That simply isn't enough for a player who is supposed to be the centerpiece of San Diego's lineup, especially with the Padres now needing to win Game 4 just to force a decisive Game 5.

The frustrating part for San Diego is how quickly Tatis' postseason started to change. He looked unstoppable during Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs, putting together the type of performance that reminded everyone why he is one of the most talented players in baseball. Tatis even put himself up there with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in career postseason OPS history at 1.178. Since then, however, he has gone just 1-for-18.

That's a massive problem for a Padres team trying to overcome a 2-1 series deficit against a 103-win Brewers team.

San Diego needs Tatis to do more than put the ball in play. The Padres need extra-base hits, clutch at-bats, and the kind of game-changing production that can completely alter a postseason game. Tatis was one of the team's most dangerous hitters during the second half of the regular season, and San Diego needs that version of him to return immediately.

The Padres cannot afford to rely on everyone else continuing to pick up the slack. They already found a way to survive Game 3, but asking the rest of the lineup to carry the offense again with the season on the line is a dangerous formula. Milwaukee has too much pitching and too much talent for San Diego to expect another game in which Tatis remains relatively quiet and the Padres still find a way to win.

There is also another piece of postseason history hanging over Tatis.

The Padres reached the NLCS in 2022, but Tatis was not part of that run because he was serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He has never played in an NLCS, making this opportunity particularly important for the 27-year-old superstar.

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If Tatis wants to finally reach that stage with San Diego, he needs to turn things around now. Two straight wins would send the Padres back to the NLCS. That starts with Game 4, and San Diego needs its biggest star to finally deliver the type of performance everyone knows he is capable of producing.

The Brewers are starting a young left-hander, Robert Gasser, in Game 4. Tatis has a chance to make an impact right away.

The Padres have survived this long without Tatis truly showing up. They cannot keep asking for miracles. If San Diego is going to complete the comeback, Tatis needs to be at the center of it.