Dodgers players rue missed chances after Brewers take 3-0 NLCS lead
Los Angeles briefly led Game 3, but its sixth-inning rally stopped short and Milwaukee hit back in the seventh. Dodgers players described the 6-2 loss and the offensive problems they face in Game 4.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 6-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 14 in Los Angeles, leaving them down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. Dodgers players pointed to missed scoring chances after a brief lead gave way to Milwaukee’s seventh-inning rally.
Kiké Hernández described the defeat as one of the toughest he could recall, comparing it with the Dodgers’ Game 5 loss to Washington in 2019, according to SB Nation’s account of the postgame reaction. Max Muncy said Los Angeles was playing poorly while Milwaukee was playing well.
How the Dodgers’ sixth-inning chance slipped away
Will Smith drove a ball off the left-field wall for a two-run double in the sixth inning, putting the Dodgers ahead 2-1. It was a breakthrough for Smith, who had one hit in his previous 26 postseason at-bats, SB Nation reported. The hit also left runners on second and third with one out, giving Los Angeles a chance to add to its lead.
The next two batters, pinch-hitter Hernández and Tommy Edman, struck out. Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers wanted to extend the lead and force Milwaukee to use more of its bullpen. Miguel Rojas said the team had failed to add runs when opportunities arose, a problem reflected in its two hits in 16 series at-bats with runners in scoring position. Milwaukee had nine hits in 27 such at-bats, according to SB Nation.
Milwaukee’s seventh-inning home runs turned Game 3
Blake Snell had thrown 81 pitches through six innings and retired 14 straight batters before Andrew Vaughn walked to start the seventh. Jake Bauers then worked an 11-pitch at-bat and hit a two-run homer off Snell to put the Brewers back in front. Garrett Mitchell homered two pitches later, ending Snell’s outing with Milwaukee leading 4-2.
Snell said he had not allowed a home run during the regular season, a span of 10 starts and 46 1/3 innings, but gave up three in Game 3, SB Nation reported. ESPN measured Bauers’ homer at 412 feet and 109 mph, and Mitchell’s at 428 feet. The Dodgers had scored seven runs across the first three games; Milwaukee had scored seven in the seventh inning or later alone, according to SB Nation.
Game 4 was scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, ESPN reported. Rojas said the Dodgers needed to win every pitch as they tried to keep the series alive.
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Sources and context
- Dodgers latest loss to Brewers ‘really hard to put into words’SB Nation (Eric Stephen; carried by Yahoo Sports)
- BauersESPN (Bradford Doolittle)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.