Petco Park in San Diego, California.
First pitch was scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT) on FS1.
Note that the series stood at Brewers 2-1 entering Game 4 after San Diego’s 4-3 win in Game 3 (not 2-0 as stated); Games 1–3 were all decided by one run (Brewers 3-2 and 4-3 in Milwaukee, Padres 4-3 at home).
Starting Pitchers
Milwaukee: LHP Robert Gasser (5-5, 3.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 103 K in 109.1 IP over the regular season). Strong September (1.67 ERA over 27 IP). Drafted by the Padres and traded to Milwaukee in the 2022 Josh Hader deal. Limited prior postseason experience (two relief appearances in 2025). First appearance of this NLDS.
San Diego: RHP Walker Buehler (9-6, 4.63 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 131 K in 153.2 IP). Better second half (around 3.62 ERA). Extensive postseason pedigree from Dodgers years (career 3.04 ERA in playoffs, including World Series contributions in 2020 and 2024). Missed the first two games of the series on the paternity list and was reinstated; this was his first start of the NLDS. Career 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA in four starts vs. Milwaukee.
Gasser is a lefty with a mix featuring sweeper, four-seam, sinker, and cutter; Buehler relies on a more traditional arsenal with notable postseason experience but reduced swing-and-miss relative to his peak.
Venue and Weather Forecast
Petco Park (San Diego). Typical pitcher-friendly environment. Forecast for first pitch and game time: clear skies, temperatures around 79–82°F, light winds (roughly 5–7 mph, often from the NW or blowing in from center/left), 0% precipitation chance, and typical air density. Conditions were not expected to strongly favor offense or alter the total significantly.
Injury Reports
Brewers (key relevant absences): Grant Anderson (15-day IL, biceps), Brandon Woodruff (60-day IL, shoulder), Brian Fitzpatrick (60-day IL, elbow), Quinn Priester (60-day IL, wrist), Angel Zerpa (60-day IL, forearm). Additional notes in some reports included other depth pieces.
Padres: Gavin Sheets (day-to-day, neck — scratched from Game 3 in some reports), Luis Rengifo (60-day IL, knee), Ramon Laureano (60-day IL, hip), Jeremiah Estrada (15-day IL, shoulder), Rodolfo Durán (60-day IL, forearm), Casey Mize (15-day IL, ankle), Lucas Giolito (60-day IL, elbow), Bryan Hoeing (60-day IL, elbow). Closer Mason Miller was on the paternity list for Game 3 (forcing creative bullpen usage including Michael King); status for Game 4 depended on availability. Adrian Morejon also dealt with shoulder issues in the series.
Rosters reflected standard playoff constructions with available regulars; exact active 26-man lists prioritized healthy contributors around the core groups.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups and Team Context
Core Brewers contributors entering the game included Jackson Chourio (hot recent form, multi-hit capability), Christian Yelich (snapped a long postseason RBI drought in Game 3), William Contreras (homering and multi-hit in the series), Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, Cooper Pratt, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Ortiz.
Padres featured Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth (Game 3 homer), Xander Bogaerts, and supporting pieces like Miguel Andujar/Samad Taylor in recent games.
Lefty-righty dynamics favored certain platoon edges (Gasser vs. Padres right-heavy lineup; Buehler vs. Brewers mix). Series games were extremely tight with strong bullpen work and timely hitting/defense (e.g., Bogaerts game-ending DP in Game 3).
Brewers carried a long postseason road losing streak into the series (dating to 2018 in some counts) but held the overall lead. Padres were strong at home vs. Milwaukee in 2026 (regular-season home dominance in the matchup).
Recent team forms
Brewers finished the regular season as MLB’s top team (103-59, NL Central winners) with strong late pitching and offense. Padres (91-71, NL West second) were hot late (including a Wild Card sweep of the Cubs) and resilient after dropping the first two NLDS games. Series history in 2026 regular season:
Padres took 4 of 6, including a strong home showing. All three prior NLDS games were one-run affairs.
Betting Trends
Extremely low-scoring, tight series (all games ≤7 runs or one-run margins). Petco and the starters leaned toward pitching dominance. Brewers were the superior regular-season team and held the series lead; Padres had home-field energy and Buehler’s experience after forcing Game 4. Public/betting action often leaned toward the higher-seeded Brewers or the under in low-total environments.
Game Odds
Milwaukee Brewers 7.5
San Diego Padres – 108
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, October 6, 2026
