Three walks, then Chourio. Brewers take Game 2.

Milwaukee was down to its last out, trailing San Diego 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth. Jackson Chourio then lined a single to center that scored Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick. The Brewers won 4-3 on Sunday and took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series. A second straight one-run win leaves the Padres needing three straight victories to advance.

The finish was not one swing in isolation. Mason Miller retired Garrett Mitchell to open the ninth, then walked Yelich and Frelick. Andrew Vaughn's flyout made it two outs. Gary Sánchez drew another walk, moving Yelich to third and Frelick to second. Chourio came up with the bases loaded and ended the game with a two-run single. Sánchez did not drive in a run, but his plate appearance gave Chourio the chance to drive in two.

The walk before the hit

That sequence is why the inning should be remembered as both a Chourio hit and a Padres bullpen breakdown. Milwaukee did not need a home run. It needed traffic, patience and one clean line drive. Chourio supplied the last piece after three walks had removed Miller's margin for error.

What the 40 pitches do and do not tell us

Miller threw 40 pitches over 1 2/3 innings, according to MLB's official box score. He allowed one hit, two earned runs and three walks, with two strikeouts. Those numbers establish the workload and the command problem. They do not establish that he was physically tired or explain why he missed the zone. Without a direct postgame account, fatigue is an interpretation, not a reported fact.

The Brewers have now won Games 1 and 2 at home by one run apiece. Game 1 required Chourio's tying homer and William Contreras' go-ahead homer. Game 2 required a very different Chourio finish. San Diego still has a path in a five-game series, but there is no cushion left: the next loss ends its season.