Milwaukee overcame offensive rust and a controversial officiating call behind clutch home runs and a dominant, scoreless bullpen performance to stifle the Padres in a tense opener.
Just hours from the first pitch in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, there's still quite a bit that needs to be said about Game 1.
Obviously, Milwaukee Brewers fans will agree with the controversial out call against Ty France, and the rulebook may also agree, but that doesn't mean San Diego Padres fans are happy about it.
Now, they have a chance to prove why the Brewers' Game 1 victory was a fluke, though that's going to be much easier said than done against Logan Henderson.
Regardless, here are three takeaways from a game that featured not one but two incredible homers from the Brewers.
Brewers offense needs time to wake up
Having nearly a full week off isn't always what teams need at this point in the year. The MLB plays a 162-game season for a reason, and teams aren't used to having that much time off unless it's the All-Star break.
Clearly, there was a bit of rust from the Brewers offense. Sure, Jackson Chourio and William Contreras hit home runs that propelled them to a 3-2 victory, but that is usually never the case with this team.
Milwaukee was just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine baserunners stranded, so that's something that needs to be worked on in Game 2 and beyond.
Milwaukee has an elite bullpen
Even without Jacob Misiorowski at his best, this team still found a way to win.
Manager Pat Murphy knew exactly what he was doing calling upon each pitcher in these specific moments.
The Brewers bullpen was as well-rested as it will be throughout the rest of the year, and it paid off in a big way. DL Hall deserves a ton of praise for getting out of a bases-loaded jam, and then Trevor Megill was the hero for recording a rare four-out save.
In total, the Brewers bullpen allowed five hits in five innings of work, but most importantly, didn't allow a single run.
Padres bullpen put the Brewers on notice
Had the Brewers been able to face the Chicago Cubs in this series, they would've known it was go-time once they chased the starter.
Now that they're facing the Padres, it's a different story.
Adrian Morejon fell to 0-1 as he gave up the solo shot to Contreras, and he was the only Padres reliever to give up a hit or run in this one.
Robbie Ray was chased after 2.2 innings, so San Diego needs Michael King to go deep into Game 2 so they don't have to use any of the same four bullpen arms as they did the day prior.
