Dodgers’ Late Collapse Leaves Season On Brink After NLCS Game 3

For a few minutes Wednesday night, Dodger Stadium finally had a reason to believe.

Will Smith broke through with a two-run double in the sixth inning. Blake Snell had recovered from a first-pitch home run and was dominating Milwaukee. The Dodgers had their first lead of the night and appeared ready to climb back into the National League Championship Series.

Then everything unraveled.

Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell hit back-to-back home runs against Snell in the seventh, turning a 2-1 Dodgers lead into a 4-2 deficit. Milwaukee added two more runs against the bullpen and handed Los Angeles a crushing 6-2 loss in Game 3.

The Dodgers now trail the best-of-seven series 3–0 and must win four consecutive games to keep their pursuit of a third straight championship alive.

Snell Recovered From A First-Pitch Shock

Jackson Chourio gave Milwaukee an immediate lead by driving Snell’s first pitch of the game over the wall.

Snell responded exactly how the Dodgers needed him to.

He struck out the next three hitters and retired 18 of the following 20 batters, including 14 consecutively. His fastball averaged 97.3 mph, and his nine strikeouts left him one short of his postseason career high.

Through six innings, Chourio’s leadoff homer was the only damage.

Snell entered the seventh with a 2-1 lead after allowing only two batters to reach following the opening home run. He had given the Dodgers every opportunity to change the direction of the series.

But Milwaukee’s lineup refused to let him finish the job.

Will Smith Finally Delivers The Hit Dodgers Needed

The Dodgers placed their leadoff hitter on base in four of the first six innings but repeatedly failed to convert those opportunities into runs.

Milwaukee rookie Robert Gasser held Los Angeles scoreless over five innings, allowing only three hits.

The Dodgers finally found an opening when Abner Uribe entered in the sixth.

Uribe walked Kyle Tucker and Freddie Freeman before Max Muncy struck out as a pinch-hitter. Shohei Ohtani then drew another walk, loading the bases for Smith.

Smith entered the at-bat with only one hit in his previous 25 postseason at-bats. On Uribe’s first pitch, he drove a sinker into the left-center-field gap for a two-run double.

Just like that, the Dodgers led 2-1.

The lineup changes had produced something. Ohtani, batting sixth for the first time as a Dodger, reached base three times with a single, walk and hit-by-pitch. Smith delivered the biggest Dodgers hit of the series.

But the rally was not finished—and that is where the Dodgers allowed the game to get away.

Two Strikeouts Leave Critical Runs On Base

Smith’s double left runners at second and third with only one out.

Milwaukee replaced Uribe with left-hander DL Hall. Dave Roberts initially sent Josue De Paula to hit but replaced him with Kiké Hernández once the pitching change was made.

Hernández struck out.

Tommy Edman followed with another strikeout, leaving two valuable insurance runs in scoring position.

“That was the game right there,” Hernández acknowledged afterward.

It is difficult to disagree.

The Dodgers had finally forced Milwaukee’s pitching staff into trouble. They had the Brewers trailing, their crowd fully involved and two runners positioned to expand the lead.

Instead, consecutive strikeouts allowed Milwaukee to escape with the deficit still at one.

Los Angeles finished with five hits and is now just 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position during the NLCS.

Smith’s double briefly covered up that problem. The rest of the sixth inning exposed it again.

Bauers Wins The At-Bat That Changed Everything

Snell returned for the seventh and walked Andrew Vaughn to begin the inning.

He then became locked in an 11-pitch battle with Bauers.

Bauers fouled off several pitches before Snell left a fastball over the middle of the plate. Bauers sent it into the right-field seats, giving Milwaukee a 3-2 lead.

Two pitches later, Mitchell homered to right-center.

The back-to-back shots ended Snell’s night and silenced Dodger Stadium.

Snell finished with four earned runs on four hits and two walks over six-plus innings. It was a harsh ending to what had been an excellent performance through six.

The three Milwaukee home runs were especially surprising because Snell had not surrendered one over his nine regular-season starts or his NLDS appearance.

Milwaukee Adds On Against The Bullpen

The Dodgers still trailed by only two runs after Snell departed, but the bullpen could not keep the game within reach.

Roki Sasaki allowed consecutive singles in the eighth before Brice Turang scored on a Justin Wrobleski wild pitch.

Milwaukee added another run in the ninth when Joey Ortiz singled home Cooper Pratt, extending the lead to 6-2.

Hall delivered 2⅓ scoreless innings after Smith’s double, and Trevor Megill recorded the final four outs.

The Dodgers went down in order in the ninth.

Our Take: The Sixth Inning Defined The Loss

It would be easy to place the entire loss on Snell because he allowed the two home runs that surrendered the lead.

That would also ignore the problem that has defined this series.

The Dodgers continually create opportunities without finishing them.

They placed the leadoff hitter on base four times during the first six innings and scored only twice. They had two runners in scoring position with one out after Smith’s double and failed to produce another ball in play.

Milwaukee has consistently extended at-bats, forced mistakes and taken advantage when the Dodgers leave the door open. Los Angeles has done the opposite.

The Dodgers have also gone three consecutive postseason games without a home run for the first time since Games 3 through 5 of the 2018 NLCS—also against Milwaukee.

Max Muncy offered the bluntest assessment afterward.

“We’re playing like [crap], and they’re playing great,” Muncy said. “No reason to overcomplicate it.”

He is right.

The Dodgers have enough talent to win four consecutive games. They also have not played well enough in this series to make that possibility feel realistic yet.

Tyler Glasnow Gets The Ball With The Season At Stake

Tyler Glasnow will start Game 4 on Thursday as the Dodgers try to avoid elimination.

Milwaukee is expected to use a bullpen game, but that does not automatically give Los Angeles an advantage. The Brewers’ relievers have repeatedly controlled the series after inheriting difficult situations.

Glasnow held Atlanta to one hit over 4⅔ innings in his NLDS appearance. The Dodgers need another strong start, but the responsibility cannot continue falling entirely on their pitching.

Four straight wins begin with one.

For that first win to arrive, the Dodgers must stop wasting the opportunities Milwaukee has repeatedly survived.

The season is no longer approaching a breaking point. It has reached one.