Milwaukee now holds a commanding 3-0 lead in the NLCS after snatching a 6-2 win from the Dodgers Wednesday night. The biggest punch came when Jake Bauers, yet again, delivered an epic at-bat, this time smashing a two-run home run that flipped the game on its head at Dodger Stadium.
Snell’s Implosion From Dominance to Disaster
Dude, Blake Snell was absolutely dealing for the first six innings. He racked up nine strikeouts on a super efficient 81 pitches and even retired 14 batters in a row through the sixth. He only gave up one run to that point, a leadoff first-pitch homer by Jackson Chourio to start the game, which was actually the first long ball Snell had allowed in 11 starts all season! You thought he was untouchable, right?
But then the seventh inning rolled around, and everything changed. Snell walked Andrew Vaughn to kick things off. Then up stepped Bauers, who you might remember from Game 2 in Milwaukee for that monster 12-pitch walk that started Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s downfall. This time, Bauers fouled off five pitches, one a long drive down the right field line that was just foul, before absolutely crushing the 11th pitch. It sailed deep into the right field pavilion, a bomb that put the Brewers up. And if that wasn’t enough, left-handed Garrett Mitchell stepped in and homered two pitches later, giving Milwaukee a two-run lead. Just like that, Snell’s dominant night unraveled.
Dodgers’ Clutch Hits Still Missing as Brewers Pull Away
The Dodgers actually grabbed a lead in the sixth inning, their latest lead of the whole series, but it just wasn’t enough. Brewers starter Robert Gasser was legit, allowing only a walk and three hits in his five scoreless innings. This guy is just the latest pitcher to give the Dodgers fits in the postseason. Even a praying mantis messing with Chourio in left field couldn’t stop him from catching a fly ball from Freddie Freeman!
And let’s talk about the Dodgers’ struggles with runners in scoring position. Abner Uribe came in for Milwaukee in the sixth, and he was actually vulnerable, walking a career-high-tying three batters among his first four faced. That set up Will Smith, who had been in a slump, with only one single in his first 26 at-bats this postseason and nine strikeouts. His wife Cara had just posted about the birth of their daughter Carter earlier that day, and maybe that was the spark, because Smith doubled off the wall, scoring two and finally giving the Dodgers a lead! It was their first extra-base hit with runners in scoring position this season, and only their third hit overall in 32 at-bats in those situations. You thought, “Okay, HERE WE GO.” But with only one out and runners on second and third, Kiké Hernández and Tommy couldn’t get it done, and those runners were stranded. The Brewers, on the other hand, are just clinical. They take advantage and add on when needed, while the Dodgers are scratching and clawing with almost nothing to show for it.
So, here we are. The Brewers are up three games to none, which is a wild flip from last year’s NLCS between these exact two teams. The Dodgers are on the brink, and the Brewers are looking unstoppable.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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