Nick Pivetta opted not to engage in regular updates after walking off the mound in April with elbow discomfort.

When he did begin speaking — after his first rehab start went awry and after finally making it back into the rotation in September — the 33-year-old veteran kept the conversation focused on what he was doing in the here and now.

Turns out, he harbored real concerns about the ability to take the ball on a day like a win-or-go-home Game 3 on Tuesday at Petco Park.

That sort of finish line also fueled him throughout a four-month rehab.

“I think if you look back at it, when I was really grinding on my rehab process and wondering if I was going to be able to pitch again this year, I look forward to these moments,” Pivetta said on the eve of his National League Division Series start against the Brewers. “I’m very grateful to be able to be the pitcher out there, to do this to start it off. Very confident in the team that I have behind me, and it brings me a lot of joy because I love to do what I do. But to be able to pitch in these moments is very special to me.

“I look forward to it.”

Pivetta has struck out 18 against two walks over four starts (18⅔ IP) — all team wins — since his return from the injured list. His postseason start in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series (3⅓ IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BBs, 4 Ks) was his shortest yet, but the team is counting on the fiery Pivetta to be the guy they chose for last year’s postseason opener at Wrigley Field and for opening day this year.

“We trust Nick in those big situations, and more often than not, he’s come through in those big situations,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “So, you know, he’s got a great personality. He’s a team guy. He’s all about the team, and I know he doesn’t want this season to end on his shoulders as the starting pitcher.”

Tipping points

Yes, the clips purporting that Mason Miller was tipping pitches in his ninth-inning meltdown on Sunday have made their way into the Padres clubhouse and team offices. Stammen didn’t directly address whether Miller’s hand positioning in his glove was telegraphing the demon slider that Jackson Chourio took ahead of Sunday’s game-winning hit — let alone other sliders that were not offered at once he corralled the pitch — other than to say the team has a handle on such things.

“We’ve got a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day,” Stammen said. “ … Any time someone like Mason, who’s been as dominant as he has, ends up being not dominant in one outing, everyone is going to find any way to try to figure out why. We look at all that stuff as a coaching staff and as an organization to try to figure out why also and support him in that. I think we’re ready to help him have a great outing the next time.”

Former Padres catcher Gary Sanchez worked the last of Miller’s three walks to load the bases. He did not swing at any of the six pitches he saw, although the four ball calls were not close to the zone.

“If he was (tipping), I wasn’t aware of it,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “I think even if he was, and we were aware of it, you know, hitting 104 is not easy by any means. You know, hitting a pitcher of that caliber and pitches of that caliber, you know, there’s nothing easy about that. But yeah, again, I really don’t (know). I was not aware.  … I was focused on other things.”

Tipping, of course, is a focus of the Brewers’, as it is of all big-league teams.

On both sides of the game.

“I’d be not telling the truth if I didn’t tell you that it’s part of our game today in a big way, and the most important part is to make sure your pitchers, catchers, infielders, coaches, nobody’s giving anything away,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “So pitchers by grip, by where they stand, by if their mouth is open or closed, eyes are down, head is up, more turn, feet are a different way. There’s so many elements: big breath, small breath, you know, taps on the ground. There’s so many ways to give away a pitch. They’re creatures of habit. … Now, as far as picking up other teams, there’s a whole process to that, and how do you relay it from second base, and are you deking or are you doing it for real? You know, so that’s all part of the game. It’s all part of it right now, and it’s a big part of it. It’s happening.”

After all that, Murphy was asked point blank if the Brewers had Miller’s pitches.

“No,” he said.

Tracking Tatis

Fernando Tatis Jr. started this postseason off on the right foot, homering on the first pitch he saw in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series and reaching base three times in a blowout win.

More than anyone else on the team, Tatis is the straw that stirs the drink in San Diego. And he’s 1-for-14 with four strikeouts in three games since starting the 2026 postseason with a bang.

That includes going 1-for-10 as the Padres dropped two games in Milwaukee.

“He hasn’t been who he was that first game, but that’s not how baseball works,” Stammen said. “It’s hard to be that type of person every single game. I know he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to be the catalyst for our team, and the other team is pitching him in that way, too. They’re pitching him very carefully, and they’re putting their best pitchers on him every single at-bat. That’s what postseason baseball is all about. I feel good about our chances. The more games we play, the more we’ll see the Fernando of Game 1.”

Notable

RHP Walker Buehler was reinstated from the paternity list and replaced RHP Randy Vásquez on the NLDS roster. Vásquez did not pitch in either Game 1 or Game 2 in Milwaukee. Stammen did not outline how Buehler would be used — as a Game 4 starter if necessary or part of an all-hands-on-deck approach in Tuesday’s win-or-go-home game — other than to say Buehler would be available for Game 3 and the rest of the series.
Ethan Salas’ healthy scratch on Sunday was about not wasting a catcher at DH when there were questions about Luis Campusano’s health. His hand was sore a day after taking a ball off the knob of the bat. Imaging cleared Campusano and he started the game. Freddy Fermin ultimately replaced Campusano as a defensive upgrade. “His hand was just a little sore coming into the clubhouse (Sunday) and wasn’t feeling that good swinging the bat,” Stammen said. “Needed to give it a little bit more time, a little medicine to kick in.”