Brewers’ big swings have Dodgers on the brink in NLCS

LOS ANGELES – Three games into the NLCS, there’s not much doubt as to which team deserves to represent the National League in the World Series.

After a third consecutive Brewers win, only a historic comeback will prevent Milwaukee from advancing to the World Series. A 6-2 Brewers win gives them a 3-0 advantage in the NLCS, ensuring champagne and celebratory t-shirts will be on hand at Dodger Stadium Thursday in case the visitors clinch.

The Brewers haven’t been this close to the World Series since 1982, when they lost to the Cardinals in their lone appearance. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are stumbling to the finish line in defence of their 2024 and 2025 championships. 

Entering the game, the Dodgers were desperate for a power outburst. They sung the praises of Shohei Ohtani despite his struggles. They bumped Kyle Tucker up in the batting order, citing his even splits. But for the third game in a row, they had no answers offensively. 

If the end is nearing for baseball’s two-time defending champions, it’s because their offence has been abysmal. Will Smith’s sixth-inning double was only the second extra-base hit of the series for the Dodgers, who managed just five hits in total on Wednesday.

Now, the corresponding part of that equation is the Brewers, who have done a tremendous job at limiting the offence that ranked fourth in baseball in runs scored this season. Give Milwaukee credit. But the Dodgers’ legacy exists because they usually beat good pitching. Not this time — at least, not so far.

But while the Dodgers struggled to hit for power, the Brewers connected for some big swings. Jackson Chourio homered on the first pitch of the game, a 98 m.p.h. fastball from Blake Snell that helped the Brewers set the tone early.

Later, after Snell had dominated throughout the middle innings on his way to nine strikeouts, Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell homered off the two-time Cy Young Award winner to chase him from the game in the seventh. 

When he was facing the Dodgers in the 2020 World Series, Snell was taken out of Game 6 in what would become an extremely controversial decision. Six years later, he stayed in the game and it backfired anyway as Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell became the first-ever left-handed hitters to hit back-to-back homers off Snell.

Leading up to Game 3, Snell was extremely focused on the task in front of him. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described him as “much more quiet” than usual, and behind the scenes the left-hander was listening closely to what Brewers players said in press conferences. He locked in on manager Pat Murphy, too — all part of an effort to embrace the mental side of the game, which he estimates is 80 per cent of the sport.

“Yeah, I’ve been gifted,” Snell said. “I could throw a baseball, I could do a lot of cool things, but I definitely think the mind is what controls the outcome.”

Opposite Snell, Robert Gasser more than held his own. The 27-year-old lefty with the low arm slot covered five innings for the Brewers, allowing just three singles without allowing a run. That’s more or less ideal considering it looked like a mismatch compared to the two-time Cy Young winner.

But once Gasser left, the Brewers turned to Abner Uribe once again. The right-hander has pitched in every one of Milwaukee’s playoff games — and pitched well — until Wednesday, when he walked three of the first four hitters he faced.

That set up a Will Smith double into the left-centre field gap, briefly giving the Dodgers the lead. But it’s borderline impossible to win with two total extra-base hits in three games.

On a quiet night for the Dodgers lineup, Ohtani did his part, reaching base three times with a hit by pitch, a walk and a line-drive single. It wasn’t enough to change the outcome, but it’s certainly enough to justify his presence in the lineup, and perhaps even a higher spot in the batting order with the season on the line Thursday.

Tyler Glasnow will start that must-win game for the Dodgers, while the Brewers have yet to announce a starter. On paper, advantage Dodgers. But as we’ve seen throughout this NLCS, it’s never wise to underestimate the 2026 Brewers.