Brewers rout Dodgers 6-2 in NLCS Game 3, take 3-0 series lead

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) on Wednesday, October 15, 2026, at Dodger Stadium, according to MLB.com and ESPN. Milwaukee now leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and is one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1982, per MLB.com.

How the game unfolded

Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio opened the game with a home run on the first pitch he saw, according to ESPN. The Dodgers responded in the sixth inning when catcher Will Smith hit a go-ahead, two-run double with the bases loaded, putting Los Angeles ahead, as reported by MLB.com.

The lead did not last. In the seventh inning, Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell hit back-to-back home runs off Dodgers starter Blake Snell, putting Milwaukee ahead for good, ESPN and MLB.com both reported. The Brewers added three more runs afterward to reach the final 6-2 margin.

Blake Snell's outing and the pitching decision

Snell allowed two baserunners in the second inning but then retired 14 Brewers in a row, carrying a six-inning, 80-pitch, nine-strikeout, zero-run outing into the seventh, according to FanGraphs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sent him back out for a third trip through Milwaukee's lineup, a decision FanGraphs noted runs counter to the well-documented "third time through the order" effect that tends to hurt even elite starters.

FanGraphs drew a parallel to the 2020 World Series, when then-Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash pulled Snell in a similar situation and was widely criticized — noting there is no clearly correct call in these spots, since leaving a dominant pitcher in is also defensible until it fails.

Yahoo Sports reported that Roberts left Snell in after he had already thrown more than 80 pitches — his season-high workload — and after Snell walked the inning's leadoff batter, a sign of fatigue. According to Yahoo Sports, no reliever was warming in the Dodgers' bullpen at that point.

Roberts' other decisions scrutinized

Yahoo Sports also reported that Roberts pinch-hit Max Muncy for center fielder Andy Pages in the sixth inning with runners in scoring position; Muncy, who had struggled through the series, struck out. Roberts then used reserves Josue De Paula and Kiké Hernández as pinch hitters earlier than usual, leaving the bench thin for the rest of the game, per Yahoo Sports.

The social-media moment

After Bauers' home run, the Brewers' social media account posted video of the swing paired with a quote Snell had given in a pregame interview about trying to disrupt Milwaukee's momentum: "But adversity hits, and that's when the thoughts start racing." ESPN reported that the post was widely read as the Brewers highlighting how Snell's own words had backfired.

What managers said

Roberts said he still expects Game 4 starter Tyler Glasnow to pitch well: "I think he's going to pitch well. He's fresh. He's got a lot of arm talent," he said, according to MLB.com. Asked about facing a 3-0 deficit, Roberts said a comeback is "certainly possible. I've lived it," per MLB.com, referring to his own experience as a player in the Boston Red Sox's 2004 ALCS comeback from a 3-0 deficit.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy credited reliever Abner Uribe despite control issues, saying, "Abner not throwing strikes is unusual, but he's been good seven straight playoff games," according to MLB.com.

Series background

The 2026 NLCS is a rematch of the previous year's National League pennant series between the same two teams, per Wikipedia. Milwaukee finished the regular season 103-59 and won the NL Central for a fourth consecutive year, while Los Angeles finished 100-62; both clubs advanced from the Division Series in four games, defeating San Diego and Atlanta respectively, according to Wikipedia.

What happens next

The Dodgers face elimination in Game 4, scheduled for the following night in Los Angeles, with Tyler Glasnow set to start for the Dodgers, according to ESPN and MLB.com.