The Los Angeles Dodgers are still reeling from a gut punch in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, and now they’re staring down a grim reality. Their odds are long, and the Milwaukee Brewers are just waiting for a chance to deliver that knockout blow, putting the Dodgers in an even bigger hole. “This one’s up there,” said Kiké Hernández, who’s played 97 postseason games for the Dodgers, the most in franchise history. “The only one I can think of like that was maybe probably Game 5 against the Nationals in ‘19, but yeah, this one was tough.”
The Moment That Wasn’t
It felt like a turning point, you know? Like when Will Smith ripped that sixth-inning drive. For a second, it looked like it could clear the wall, a home run that would have just ignited Dodger Stadium. Instead, it clanged off the left field wall for a two-run double, but hey, it still gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. And man, was it cathartic for Smith! He had been struggling big time, with only one hit in 26 postseason at-bats before that shot. Miguel Rojas, who snagged one of the Dodgers’ measly five hits in Game 3, said it best: “It’s really hard to put into words, because you feel like you finally break through and Will with the big hit, you feel really good for him, because we all know he’s been struggling at the plate.”
But here’s where it all went sideways. With runners on second and third and only one out after Smith’s double, the Dodgers had a golden opportunity to break it open, to get some breathing room. Instead, Hernández, who was pinch-hitting, struck out. And then Tommy Edman struck out. Just like that, the rally fizzled. Hernández admitted, “For me, I took two strikes and swung at a ball. It’s just one of those points in time where it happens to go that way, and it just happens to be at the worst time of the season.” He summed it up perfectly, saying, “We just weren’t able to put a couple more at-bats together in that sixth inning, and that was it. We didn’t add on, like they have in all three games, and that’s just the story of it.”
Offensive Struggles Become the Story
Manager Dave Roberts knew the urgency of the moment, too. “I think with their pen, I felt it was important to try to get a lead, which we did with Will, and then get an opportunity to get some breathing room to tack on,” Roberts explained. “There’s certainly urgency where you want to keep their back end of the guys in the pen. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that.” That’s been the whole vibe of the series, hasn’t it? Rojas nailed it when he said, “When that ball hit the wall, you feel like you could have gotten more, you know? That’s been the story of the series so far. Offensively we haven’t done our job, and it feel like we lost all the room for error we had earlier in the series.”
Meanwhile, Blake Snell for the Brewers was just cruising. He threw only 81 pitches through six innings and retired 14 batters in a row. Roberts planned to let Snell face the first three left-handed batters in the seventh before bringing in a right-hander, which tells you just how effective Snell was, forcing the Dodgers to try and play matchups. They needed to score, to create some separation, especially against a strong bullpen, and they just couldn’t.
Now, it’s all on the line. The Dodgers have to come out tomorrow with one mentality: win every pitch. They’re facing elimination, and the Brewers are smelling blood. It’s going to be an absolute grind.
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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