Mason Miller is officially unavailable for NLDS Game 3 just 48 hours after he blew NLDS Game 2.
Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that the San Diego Padres star reliever Miller has been placed on the paternity list. As a result, he will be away from the club for a minimum of one day and a maximum of three days.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Miller is going on leave for the birth of his first child. Miller will be replaced on the postseason roster by fellow reliever Wandy Peralta for the duration of his absence.
The timing here is a little difficult for the reigning NL saves leader Miller. After all, he just blew an attempted 6-out save in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday night, turning a 3-2 lead into a crushing 4-3 loss after allowing three walks and then a walkoff base hit to Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio.
Then again, Miller did throw a season-high 40 pitches in his Game 2 outing. Thus, it is unclear whether he even would have been able to pitch on Tuesday in the first place.
Down 2-0 in the series, the Padres are facing elimination in Game 3 against the Brewers. Adrian Morejon or Jason Adam will now likely be called on instead if a save situation arises as San Diego is faced with another stroke of misfortune during the NLDS series.
