Some have already declared the San Diego Padres dead on arrival heading into Game 3 of their NLDS clash against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Padres dropped two winnable games on the road, including one in walk-off fashion in Game 2 with closer Mason Miller on the mound, and they now find themselves on the brink of elimination.
In the top of the fifth inning of Game 3, the Brewers, down by one run, grinded out a run thanks to Cooper Pratt's hustle on a shallow fly ball from Jackson Chourio. Pratt courageously tagged up even though the ball didn't reach very far in the outfield, and Milwaukee tied the game as a result.
But the Padres regained control of the contest almost immediately. It was Jake Cronenworth who led off the bottom half of the inning, and one the first pitch he faced from Brewers reliever JoJo Romero, he unloaded a huge swing on a curveball around the knees — depositing it to the right-field bleachers to give San Diego a 3-2 lead, much to the euphoria of the crowd at Petco Park.
JAKE CRONENWORTH GOES DEEP
3-2 #PADRES OVER THE BREWERS pic.twitter.com/pSIsB9NfhT
— Padres Central (@PadresCentral_) October 7, 2026
Cronenworth wasn't very good for the Padres in the first two games of the series. He went hitless in seven at-bats, and he's yet to make much of an impact for his team. In his first at-bat in Game 3, he was tasked to lay down a sacrifice bunt, which is indicative of the level of production he's given San Diego this year.
Article Continues BelowIn the regular season, Cronenworth hit just seven home runs and drove in 41 runs with an OPS of .629, all of which are his worst tallies since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. But now, he's made his mark for the Padres and restored their lead.
The goal now for the Padres is to not leave an opening for the Brewers to exploit the way they did in Game 2, when Jackson Chourio hit a two-run walk-off single to stun San Diego.