Padres can spoil Brewers' historic season in first-ever postseason matchup

From start to finish, it seemed like the Milwaukee Brewers were going to be a team to beat this season. Deservingly, they earned that badge of honor. En route to a franchise-best 103 wins this season, the Brewers not only had the best pitcher in the league in Jacob Misiorowski, but the entire roster proved that they can outpace the Los Angeles Dodgers, A.K.A the two-time reigning World Series champions.

But, all of that can be put in the rearview mirror as the Brewers are set for a best-of-5 NLDS with the San Diego Padres, marking the first time these franchises will ever meet in the playoffs. The Friars are arguably the hottest team in baseball right now, and if you are the Brewers, a team that hasn't played in a few days, one of the last teams you'd want to see is the Padres.

San Diego was also one of three teams to sweep the Brewers this season. They have the blueprint to defeat the top seed in the National League, so why shouldn't Padres fans expect to advance to the NLCS this fall?

San Diego Padres stack up well with Milwaukee Brewers in 2026 NLDS

This season, the Padres hit 29 more home runs and stole two more bases than the Brewers. The lineup has been particularly steady, especially since Fernando Tatis Jr. turned things on in the second half of the season. But make no mistake, Milwaukee also has a tremendous lineup, which scored the second-most runs in the majors this season. Only the Cubs had more runs, which plated one total run in two games against the Padres.

So, San Diego was able to spoil Chicago's postseason after scoring at a rapid rate. Why can't that happen again in this series? Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, and Jackson Chourio each muscled 20 or more home runs. But, the Cubs had five players reach that mark in 2026, including the eventual MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, who flexed 45 homers. They all faltered against the Cubs, including an 0-for-7 effort with four strikeouts from PCA.

This was, of course, thanks to San Diego's elite bullpen that consists of Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui, and Jason Adam. If these five arms can limit Milwaukee's offensive production like they did in the Wild Card series, then Padres fans may not be done celebrating just yet. But, we can't underestimate a team that won 103 games. It should be a thrilling series.

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