Brewers Tie MLB Record With 12th Straight Road Playoff Loss in 4-3 NLDS Defeat

Q: How will a star closer's sudden paternity leave impact the Brewers' chances of snapping their historic 12-game playoff road losing streak?

Mason Miller’s paternity leave hurts Milwaukee’s chances, but it does not fundamentally change them unless he misses more than one game. The immediate impact is late-inning uncertainty. Miller was one of the National League’s top closers in the regular season, with 38 saves and a 1.67 ERA, and his absence in Game 3 clearly mattered in a one-run loss. Even after his blown save in Game 2, his presence normally shortens games and gives Milwaukee a cleaner path to finish a road win. Against a Padres team that is strong at home and now has momentum after avoiding elimination, losing that safety net makes ending the 12-game postseason road skid more difficult. That said, the effect should be limited if Miller returns quickly. The postseason paternity list allows a one-to-three-day absence, and he is eligible to come back for Game 4. Milwaukee still leads the series 2-1, needs only one road win, and has enough bullpen depth to survive without him for a night if the rest of the relief corps holds up. The Brewers also remain a strong road team overall this season despite the playoff streak. The larger issue may be psychological as much as tactical. Milwaukee has now failed again on the road in October, and the historic losing streak can grow heavier the longer it lasts. Without its elite closer, the margin for error shrinks. If Miller is back for Game 4, the Brewers’ odds of ending the skid remain strong; if not, the pressure rises sharply.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Oct 7

Milwaukee’s 4-3 Game 3 loss in San Diego left the Brewers with 12 consecutive road postseason defeats, matching the longest such skid in MLB history.
That streak dates to 2018, when Milwaukee last won a playoff road game in Game 3 of the NLCS.
San Diego stayed alive by protecting an early lead this time after Milwaukee had taken the first two games of the NLDS in comeback fashion.
The Brewers’ offense again looked thin—Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell accounted for seven of the club’s nine strikeouts—and Milwaukee is now 7-14 in the postseason since 2019 despite four straight NL Central titles.
Game 4 now offers Milwaukee a chance to both clinch the series and end a road playoff drought that has become a defining October problem.