Woof. Blake Snell was out there on Wednesday for Game 3 of the NLCS, and for a while, it looked like the Dodgers were gonna ride him to a win at home. But then the seventh inning hit, and Milwaukee just tore him apart in a 6-2 loss. What a gut punch, man. Snell giving up a first-pitch home run to Jackson Chourio to kick off the scoring felt like total deja vu, especially after the same thing happened in Game 5 of the 2025 World Series. You can’t make this stuff up!
From Lights Out to Leadoff Walk
Even with that rough start, Snell was basically dealing for six whole innings. Seriously, he looked like the ace the Dodgers needed, tossing scoreless ball and ringing up nine Brewers hitters. The Dodgers even scratched across a little run support, with a two-run double from Will Smith putting them up by a run against Milwaukee. It felt like they had the momentum, like maybe they could claw their way back in the series. But then, as we all know, October baseball is just cruel sometimes, and the top of the seventh inning arrived. That’s when things just fell apart.
The Seventh Inning Explodes
Snell started the seventh by letting Andrew Vaughn take a leadoff walk, putting the tying run on base. For a second, you think, “Okay, he’s gonna work around this, right?” Nope. Snell got into a deep at-bat with Jake Bauers, and man, the Brewers first baseman just launched it to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. And if that wasn’t bad enough, two pitches later, Garrett Mitchell blasted his first postseason home run. Just like that, the lead was totally out of reach. Snell talked to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about that leadoff homer, saying, “It was just wild, the fact that it happened in back-to-back postseasons, It’s part of the game. It’s not gonna define me, but it’s frustrating. I was really locked in because I was focused. I knew what I needed to do, and that’s part of the game. To give up a home run to start the game was just frustrating, and I’ll learn from that.” He even reflected on Bauers, a guy he knows from their time in Tampa, saying, “I got a strike pitch one, and then I left a fastball over the middle to Bauers. I’ve known him since he got drafted with San Diego and then was with the Rays. I’ve seen all the ups and downs he’s been through. For him to go through this, he’s earned it.” Rough to see it happen like that against a guy you know, for sure.
Honestly, the two-run double from Smith was the only real help Snell got, and in a game where the Dodgers needed all the run production they could get, that just wasn’t enough. The Dodgers’ starting pitching has been struggling, allowing nine earned runs over 14 2/3 innings so far. That’s a tough stat to swallow. They’re gonna send Tyler Glasnow to the mound for Game 4. It’s gotta be better, man. It just has to be.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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