Will Smith reached second base and pumped his fists as Dodger Stadium began to shake in the sixth inning Wednesday, a moment that felt familiar from years of Los Angeles dominance at home. Not this time. Against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers absorbed a punch and then watched their opponent hit back harder, turning a one-run deficit into a two-run lead in the seventh. Milwaukee rode its bullpen to a 6-2 victory that put the Dodgers in a 3-0 hole in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
The result leaves the Dodgers facing a sobering task: to keep alive their bid to become the first NL team to win three straight championships, they must complete a comeback only one team in history has achieved. Third baseman Max Muncy said the club set out to do something historic at the start of the year, and that it may have to make more history along the way. He pointed to the pitching staff as reason for confidence, adding that the team just has to get some hits.
Those hits remain elusive. The Dodgers put runners on in three of their first five innings against Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser and never scored. Smith finally broke through with a double off the wall against Abner Uribe to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead, but Milwaukee answered immediately. Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer off Blake Snell, and Garrett Mitchell followed with another home run. It marked the fourth straight time the Dodgers took the lead only to see Milwaukee score in the next half-inning.
Manager Dave Roberts shuffled his lineup, dropping Shohei Ohtani to sixth, the lowest he has hit in six years, and moving Kyle Tucker into the cleanup spot. The Dodgers still managed only five hits and are slashing .165/.264/.187 in the series, good for a .451 OPS. Miguel Rojas said the team has been unable to win the big moments, while Muncy was blunter about the offense's struggles.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing