Padres Break the Emergency Glass, Activate Walker Buehler for NLDS Survival

The San Diego Padres are officially breaking the emergency glass. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the team has activated Walker Buehler to their National League Division Series roster just in time to try and salvage their season.

Seeing Buehler in brown and gold still feels like a glitch in the matrix after his years anchoring the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, but San Diego does not have the luxury of caring about aesthetics right now. They are in pure survival mode.

"MLB Trade Rumors reported the roster activation via Twitter"

After sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round with a combined 12-1 run differential, the Padres hit a brick wall in Milwaukee. They dropped the first two games of the NLDS on the road, suffering brutal one-run losses of 3-2 and 4-3 to the Brewers.

Now, staring down a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series, the Padres are heading back to Petco Park needing a miracle. Activating a guy with Buehler's extensive postseason pedigree is exactly the kind of move you make when tomorrow is not guaranteed.

From a betting perspective, the series odds have completely flipped in Milwaukee's favor. But throwing a healthy Buehler into the mix for a do-or-die Game 3 or 4 introduces a massive variable that the Brewers, and the market, now have to account for.

The Padres host Game 3 on October 7, and if they survive, Game 4 the very next day. Whether Buehler starts or comes out of the bullpen throwing absolute gas, San Diego just handed the ball to a guy who knows exactly how to pitch when the lights are brightest.