Padres' NLDS schedule vs. Brewers is a total whirlwind

The Padres barely had time to sweep the confetti out of Petco Park before the MLB schedule told them to pack their bags and head out. After dispatching the Cubs in two games, San Diego now heads to Milwaukee for an NLDS that will operate with quick turnarounds. The five-game schedule is crammed into seven days, with three potential flights across multiple time zones and a couple of turnarounds that border on absurd.

Game 1 begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT in Milwaukee. Game 2 starts Sunday at 1 p.m. PT, only 19 1/2 hours later. 

Every reliever he deploys Saturday night could play an important role again before lunch on the West Coast the next day. If the opening game turns into one of those postseason bullpen parades, Stammen will have to manage the scoreboard and the clock simultaneously and question if burning through all the leverage arms without thinking about Sunday is worth it.

Craig Stammen must manage Game 1 with Game 2 already looming

San Diego’s bullpen is built for aggression. That remains one of this team’s biggest advantages. Still, Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón and the rest of the late-inning bunch aren’t arcade-game characters. The Padres need their Game 1 starter to hang in there and provide as much length as possible against a Brewers rotation led by Jacob Misiorowski, who finished the regular season with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts.

Milwaukee has also been sitting at home all week. The Brewers earned their first-round bye, lined up their pitching and avoided the emotional drain of an elimination series. The Padres were busy taking care of the Cubs.

But there’s also another side to that. San Diego arrives with its engine already running.

After sweeping the Cubs, their offense is producing, and their bullpen has already handled playoff pressure. Milwaukee has spent the week manufacturing intensity through workouts and simulated games. Rest is valuable, but so is rhythm.

Monday provides the lone early breather before the series shifts to Petco Park for Game 3 on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. PT. If necessary, Game 4 follows Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT. Then everybody gets back on a plane for a potential Game 5 in Milwaukee on Friday at 1:30 p.m. PT, although that time could change.

That makes the first two games enormous for San Diego. Leaving Milwaukee with a split gives the Padres control of the series at home. An 0-2 hole would turn Tuesday night into a season-saving operation.

The regular-season results offer some encouragement. San Diego won four of six against Milwaukee, including a three-game sweep at Petco Park in August. The Brewers took two of three when the teams met in Milwaukee, so the venue has appeared to matter in this matchup.

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