6 mistakes the Padres need to avoid in season-saving quest vs. Brewers

The San Diego Padres lost a pair of heartbreakers to begin their NLDS matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers, meaning that as the series shifts to San Diego, their season is on the brink. One more loss in this NLDS would end what, at times, has felt like a magical season for San Diego.

For the Padres to avoid elimination on Tuesday night, they must avoid making any mistakes, with these six in particular sticking out.

The Padres need to dial it back with Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon

The Padres are built around their bullpen, so I completely understand being heavily reliant on that unit to get you as many key outs as possible, especially in a big game. With that being said, Adrian Morejon took the loss in Game 1, and Mason Miller took the loss in Game 2. There's one similarity that across those two performances: They were both asked to overextend.

The Padres asked Morejon and Miller to record six high-pressure outs against a scrappy Brewers team. Morejon has tons of experience doing this, so it isn't as bad that Craig Stammen are asking him to pitch this much, but Miller went two innings just twice in the regular season, and he never threw more than 34 pitches in an outing. He threw 40 in Game 2, and would've had to throw more had the game extended beyond Jackson Chourio's at-bat.

I understand wanting to push and get the most out of two of the best relievers in baseball, but sometimes, asking your guys to get out of their comfort zone will result in them not being quite as sharp. Things sure took a turn when the Padres asked Miller to pitch that second inning. Avoiding asking these guys for six outs each might be a winning recipe.

Dustin Harris shouldn't be hitting second in the Padres' lineup

Dustin Harris' emergence has been a great story for the Padres, but why is he hitting second against every right-handed starter? Harris has been a nice spark plug for San Diego, but it's also worth noting that he had just six extra-base hits and zero home runs in 100 regular-season plate appearances in a Padres uniform.

Why should a player who doesn't add much thump at all be getting more at-bats than guys like Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill or Ty France, all of whom have an innate ability to change any given game with one swing? Starting Harris is fine, but Harris should not be the individual charged with protecting Fernando Tatis Jr. in the No. 2 spot of their order. The Padres should want their best hitters getting the most at-bats.

Padres must DH Luis Campusano if they don't trust him defensively

Luis Campusano started Game 2 behind the plate, which made sense given his previous success with Michael King, that game's starting pitcher. What was weird about that decision, though, was that since Campusano grades out as a poor defender, the Padres chose to prioritize their defense mid-game, inserting Freddy Fermin in the late innings behind the plate.

That makes sense on the surface, as teams want to improve their defense when protecting a late lead. But this move made it so that Fermin came up with two on and one out in the top of the ninth inning. Instead of the Padres having Campusano and his .795 regular-season OPS, the Padres had Fermin and his .589 regular-season OPS at the plate. Fittingly, Fermin grounded into a key double play, keeping the Padres' lead at a skinny run entering the ninth. Obviously, that proved to not be enough.

I understand removing Campusano for defense, but if the Padres don't trust him, why not just DH him, ensuring that his bat won't be replaced in another big moment? With Fermin and Ethan Salas on their roster, the Padres have two other catchers they can start in this game.

Gavin Sheets should not make an early appearance in this game

Games are won and lost in October when managers pick the right matchups. Pushing the right buttons is so important, especially in meaningful games. With that in mind, Stammen needs to avoid including Gavin Sheets in the Padres' starting lineup.

I understand the urge to start a power-hitting slugger like Sheets against a right-handed pitcher like Dustin May. We've already seen Sheets come through with a massive swing in the WIld Card series, so perhaps he can find a way to slug a huge home run in Game 3. However, Sheets has seen May before, and has gone just 1-for-11 against him.

The numbers suggest that Sheets' bat won't do much in this matchup. Rather than forcing him into the lineup against a pitcher he has not seen well, the Padres should keep Sheets in the dugout waiting for the right moment to deploy him. Having him available as a pinch-hitter would be wise for San Diego in this game in particular.

Padres can ill-afford any defensive lapses

If you put the ball into play, good things happen. That's a motto that the Brewers live by every postseason. Their ultimate goal is to put the ball into play and, with their team speed, put pressure on the opposition. They did that in Game 2 of this series, and Jake Cronenworth, in particular, unraveled.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with San Diego up 3-1, the Brewers had runners on the corners with two outs and the speedy David Hamilton at the plate. Hamilton hit a chopper to second base that Cronenworth bobbled and promptly threw away, leading to a run crossing the plate. Rather than ending the inning there, the Brewers got what amounted to a massive run. Cronenworth committed a pair of errors on that one play.

Mistakes like these can flip any game, particularly against the Brewers. Given that, the Padres must play a clean game defensively.

Padres need to make sure their stars play like stars

Last but not least, we have the biggest "mistake" to avoid of all. I know, this isn't something that the Padres can actually control, as at the end of the day, it's on the players to perform as they're capable of. With that being said, this game, let alone the series, won't go San Diego's way if the team's stars simply do not show up.

Tatis Jr. electrified a rowdy San Diego crowd by dominating the Wild Card series, only for him to go 1-for-10 in the first two games of the NLDS. Jackson Merrill is just 1-for-9 with three strikeouts. Manny Machado had a multi-hit performance in Game 1, but went 0-for-2 (albeit with two walks) in Game 2.

The Padres have had their chances with runners in scoring position, but time and time again, we saw the stars of this team fold under pressure in Milwaukee. That must change in a hurry if the Padres want to play another game on Wednesday. So, whatever Stammen has to do to get his stars playing like stars, he must get done.

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