The Los Angeles Dodgers are trending because they trail the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), the best-of-seven round that decides which National League team reaches the World Series. After a 6-2 loss in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers' season ends if they lose Game 4. Reporting from AP and MLB.com describes this as the central reason the team name is drawing searches.
The NLCS is a best-of-seven playoff series between the two surviving National League clubs, and the winner advances to the World Series. The first team to four wins takes the series, which is why a 3-0 deficit is so severe: the trailing club must win four consecutive games. Milwaukee now needs one more victory, while Los Angeles must sweep the remaining games to survive.
Milwaukee won Game 3 by a score of 6-2 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Jackson Chourio homered on the very first pitch thrown by Dodgers starter Blake Snell, giving the Brewers an immediate lead. The early home run set the tone for a game that slipped away from Los Angeles late.
After the first-pitch home run, Blake Snell settled in and retired 18 of the next 20 batters, striking out nine. That stretch kept the Dodgers within reach and set up a potential comeback. Snell had not allowed a home run in his previous 10 starts this season before Game 3, according to MLB.com.
In the sixth inning, Will Smith hit a two-run double that put the Dodgers ahead 2-1. It was the moment the home crowd had been waiting for and briefly shifted momentum toward Los Angeles. The lead, however, did not last past the seventh inning.
In the seventh, Snell walked Andrew Vaughn, then allowed back-to-back home runs to Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell. Bauers won an 11-pitch at-bat before hitting his two-run shot, and Mitchell followed immediately. Manager Dave Roberts later described his decision to leave Snell in as "three more hitters."
A recurring problem for Los Angeles this postseason has been hitting with runners in scoring position, which means a runner is on second or third base and a base hit can score him. MLB.com reported that the Dodgers were 3-for-32 in those situations during the postseason. That inefficiency helps explain why the team has struggled to convert scoring chances.
Teams that lead 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series have won 41 of 42 times, a rate of about 98 percent, with 32 of those series ending in sweeps. The only club to come back from 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series was the 2004 Boston Red Sox. MLB.com notes that those Red Sox were managed by Dave Roberts, who now manages the Dodgers.
After Game 3, Dodgers infielder Max Muncy described the team's play bluntly, saying they were "playing like [crap]" while the Brewers were playing great. His comment captured the frustration of a lineup that has not produced consistently in the series. It also underlined the gap between the two teams' current form.
Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific at Dodger Stadium, with FS1 carrying the broadcast. Tyler Glasnow starts for Los Angeles, while MLB.com reported left-hander Shane Drohan as Milwaukee's starter. NBC Los Angeles noted that Milwaukee had not named a starter and listed Kyle Harrison, rookie Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick as options, so sources disagree on that point.
Tyler Glasnow has a 3.60 career earned run average (ERA) in three elimination games, all pitched for Tampa Bay, according to MLB.com. ERA measures earned runs allowed per nine innings and is a standard way to compare pitchers. The Dodgers have not lost any of Glasnow's previous seven postseason starts.
Milwaukee's staff has posted a 1.74 postseason ERA, the lowest among all 12 clubs that entered the playoffs, per MLB.com. That figure reflects how difficult the Brewers have been to score against throughout the postseason. It also explains why Los Angeles has struggled to string together runs in the series.
Shohei Ohtani was batting sixth in Game 4 while dealing with right biceps and left knee issues. He was 3-for-20 this postseason with no extra-base hits or runs batted in going into Game 3. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ohtani declined Roberts' offer to come out of the lineup.
Closer Edwin Díaz, the only Dodgers reliever unused in the series, is slated to pitch in Game 4, according to MLB.com. A closer is typically brought in for the final inning of a close game to protect a lead. His availability gives Los Angeles another option if the game stays tight.
A Dodgers win in Game 4 would force a Game 5 on Friday at Dodger Stadium. It would also keep the series alive and shift some pressure back onto Milwaukee. The Brewers, meanwhile, remain one victory away from their first World Series appearance in 44 years.
Milwaukee is one win from its first World Series in 44 years, a drought that adds weight to every remaining game. For the Brewers, a single victory would end decades of waiting and send the franchise to the sport's biggest stage. For the Dodgers, the same game represents survival.
History shows that a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series has almost always ended the trailing team's season. The single exception was the 2004 Red Sox, and that comeback required four straight wins against a strong opponent. The Dodgers would need to repeat that feat to advance.
Dave Roberts, the current Dodgers manager, was the manager of the 2004 Red Sox team that came back from a 3-0 deficit, according to MLB.com. That connection makes the historical comparison more personal for him. It also means he has firsthand experience with a comeback that nearly every other club has failed to match.
Game 3 was played at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers' home ballpark in Los Angeles. The loss came in front of the home crowd, which makes the 3-0 deficit more painful for the team and its fans. The venue also hosts Game 4 and would host Game 5 if the Dodgers win.
The central question in Game 4 is whether Los Angeles can finally produce hits with runners in scoring position and support Glasnow. Milwaukee will try to close out the series behind a staff that has been the best in the postseason. If the Dodgers lose, their season ends; if they win, the series continues Friday.
