NLCS Game 3: Takeaways, updates from Dodgers-Brewers

          play
          Dodgers fans boo as Brewers smash back-to-back HRs in the 7th inning (0:55)

          • ESPN
          Oct 14, 2026, 11:15 PM ET

          The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves one loss away from a playoff exit, their hopes of three consecutive World Series titles in jeopardy.

          In Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, despite the Milwaukee Brewers getting off to a hot start with a first-pitch home run, it seemed as if the Dodgers' offense was getting going, as Will Smith hit a two-run double to give his team the lead in the sixth.

          But then the Brewers hit back-to-back home runs in the following inning and never looked back, going on to win 5-2 and pushing the reigning champions to the brink of elimination.

          We have you covered with in-game action and postgame analysis from Los Angeles.

          Key links: How final four teams were built | Playoff MVP tracker | Schedule

          Milwaukee Brewers 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

          Milwaukee leads series 3-0

          It was over when ... Jake Bauers, king of the epic-length at-bat, battled Blake Snell for 10 pitches in the seventh. Then, on pitch 11, Bauers planted one in the right-field bleachers for a go-ahead, two-run lead. Before the stunned gathering of more than 50,000 could recover from their collective gasp, Garrett Mitchell followed with a 438-foot bomb. Game, set and ... series? Sure looks that way.

          Game 3 star ... We've touched on Bauers, so let's go with Robert Gasser, who matched two-time Cy Young winner Snell pitch for pitch. Or was it the other way around? Gasser wasn't as dominant as Snell but every bit as effective in the longest postseason outing of his young career. The big stage was definitely not too big for him.

          The stat that defined the game ... 1. Jackson Chourio set the tone with a solo homer (1) on the game's first pitch (1) on the one-year anniversary (1) of him doing the same thing to Yoshinobu Yamamoto in last year's NLCS. This time, unlike last year, the Brewers won (1).

          What it means for the rest of the series ... Before the game, someone asked Dodgers manager Dave Roberts if, to inspire his club, he was ever tempted to pull out old video of his legendary steal in the 2004 ALCS that started the ball rolling on Boston's comeback from a three-games-to-zero hole against the Yankees. Roberts laughed and said, "Absolutely not." At this point, it may be worth a try -- because this series, and the Dodgers' reign, is seemingly all but over. -- Bradford Doolittle

          Highlights from Milwaukee's win

          Brewers keep padding lead -- and ride it to victory

          Milwaukee tacks on another run in the 8th

          And another one!

          Bauers' 2-run blast puts the Brewers back on top

          Will Smith's bases-loaded double makes it 2-1 L.A.

          Milwaukee defense getting it done

          One pitch, 1-0 Brewers