MILWAUKEE \u2014 Mason Miller sat quietly at his locker, between Nick Pivetta and Griffin Canning, in a somber visiting clubhouse Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t matter that he was asked to fetch six outs against baseball\u2019s winningest team in a hostile environment. He failed, he\u2019d done so by shooting himself in the foot three times, and now he\u2019s got a full day to absorb a blown save that sends the Padres back to San Diego needing to win three straight games against the 103-win Brewers to keep their season alive.<\/p>\n
The All-Star closer wasn\u2019t as much looking for the next opportunity to flush it as he was wishing for a mulligan.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably just to get back there and start the ninth over and throw everything down the middle,\u201d Miller said after walking three batters in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Sunday.<\/a> \u201cAnd if they hit it, they hit it. Cardinal rule is pretty much: You don\u2019t beat yourself. And I beat myself today. You know, I mean, a base hit with nobody on doesn\u2019t win them the game.<\/p>\n \u201cA base hit after you walk the bases loaded does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019re in a hole\u2019: Brewers walk off against Padres to go up 2-0 in NL Division Series<\/a><\/p>\n Miller\u2019s wild streak arrived after he needed just 12 pitches to strike out two in a scoreless eighth against Brice Turang, Jake Bauers and William Contreras.<\/p>\n The Padres went into the game with Miller pegged for six outs after left-hander Adrian Morej\u00f3n threw six outs in taking the loss on Saturday. Miller was even up in the seventh inning as the top of the Brewers\u2019 lineup loomed before Bradgley Rodriguez got an inning-ending grounder from Jackson Chourio to clean up Yuki Matsui\u2019s attempt at a second inning of work.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the top of the lineup in the eighth probably made that decision for Mason,\u201d Padres manager Craig Stammen said. \u201cI think going into the game we were thinking of Mason for six outs, especially how quick that eighth inning went for him. He was just battling the strike zone there at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Protecting a 3-2 lead for a second straight frame, Miller didn\u2019t actually lose the strike zone until getting Garrett Mitchell to ground out to start the ninth.<\/p>\n He threw four straight balls after starting Christian Yelich with a called strike on a slider. Sal Frelick battled back from down 1-2 for the second walk of the inning. After Miller got a fly ball from pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn, he walked pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez on six pitches to load the bases.<\/p>\n Chourio came up with a plan of attack.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew he was a little bit erratic,\u201d the Brewers\u2019 leadoff hitter said. \u201cHe was throwing some balls. I knew he was going to come at me with the fastball at some point, so mentally I was just making sure I was prepared for that.\u201d<\/p>\n And he was, lining a middle-away, 101 mph four-seamer up the middle and just out of the reach of a diving Jake Cronenworth to send the Brewers to a walk-off win.<\/p>\n The blown save was Miller\u2019s fourth of the year, but his third in his last 14 appearances (5.51 ERA).<\/p>\n If he\u2019d gotten the job done, it would have been his third six-out appearance of the season and first since Sept. 4.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I mean it\u2019s the playoffs, so you\u2019re prepared for whatever,\u201d Miller said of the workload on Sunday.<\/p>\n