Dodgers Face Elimination After Brewers’ Back-to-Back Homers

Blake Snell stood on the mound, preparing to make his next pitch after Jake Bauers’ two-run homer shifted the lead. Despite this setback on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Snell was determined to press on. Minutes later, Snell saw another home run, this time by Garrett Mitchell.

The Dodgers experienced a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series when the Brewers reclaimed the lead through back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning. This victory gave the Brewers a dominant 3-0 series lead, leaving the Dodgers in a must-win situation in the next four games to reach the World Series.

For five innings, the Brewers held a slim lead from Jackson Chourio’s home run off the first pitch. Snell, pitching efficiently, managed to contain the Brewers, utilizing his fastball, curveball, and changeup effectively. Unlike a previous postseason start where he gave up five walks in less than four innings against the Atlanta Braves, Snell pitched six innings with two walks.

Snell delivered a fastball averaging 97.3 mph, slightly improving from his last start. After Chourio’s initial home run, Snell retired 18 of the following 20 batters, including 14 consecutively. His nine strikeouts were close to his career postseason record set against the Brewers the previous year in Game 1 of the NLCS.

But in the seventh inning, a leadoff walk to Andrew Vaughn led to back-to-back homers that reversed the game’s direction. Given the Brewers’ bullpen success in previous games, the Dodgers needed to capitalize against the starters but failed in Game 3, with just three hits against left-hander Robert Gasser.

Relief pitched by Abner Uribe, who appeared to show fatigue in his seventh game, offered the Dodgers a chance. Uribe walked his first two batters before Max Muncy struck out as a pinch-hitter. The pressure then landed on Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith, two Dodgers struggling in postseason play. Ohtani secured a walk, setting up Smith, who had just one hit previously. Smith hit a first-pitch sinker for a two-run double, giving the Dodgers a brief lead.

The Dodgers’ rally was cut short as the Brewers’ strategy calls halted further scoring. Brewers’ subsequent batters exploited Snell’s pitching with consecutive singles and a wild pitch from Justin Wrobleski adding insurance runs. Another inning saw more runs from singles and a stolen base.

As fans began leaving the stadium, the Dodgers made little impact in their final half inning. The Brewers’ victory places the Dodgers on the verge of elimination, needing four straight wins to continue their postseason journey.