As NLCS Shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3, Dodgers Turn to Blake Snell to Avoid 0-3 Hole

The Milwaukee Brewers lead the NLCS 2-0, but Blake Snell takes the mound as the Los Angeles Dodgers seek to avoid a historic deficit.

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Aaron Ashby joins John Smoltz on King of the Diamond to discuss the Milwaukee Brewers' Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The National League Championship Series moves to Los Angeles tonight. The Brewers have the edge over the Dodgers in this game and have won the first two games, but if the home team continues to win, the Dodgers can return to Milwaukee to take a 3-2 lead. What will happen tonight as Los Angeles looks to upset the series against Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Brewers are currently running a clinic. A few things about the Brewers in this series are very impressive. The first thing I like is that they win in different ways. Game 1 saw them hit a game-tying homer, then draw a walk, put their runner on second, and then hit a leadoff single. Game 2 was a lot of stop-to-stop baseball, but they got a big home run from William Contreras at a key moment. Another impressive thing about Milwaukee is their ability to rebound. The Dodgers have scored first in both games, but the Brewers have not rolled and died.

As impressive as their offense has been, their pitching staff has been even better. Their starters have been reliable, but their bullpen has been even better. Tonight they send Robert Gasser to the mound. Gasser has started one in the next season; He went four innings and allowed three hits and one walk. He allowed a solo homer and the Brewers beat the Padres 3-1. This could be a good game for the Dodgers as they have faced Gasser twice this season and won both games. They also call him 312.

The Los Angeles Dodgers need a win. Teams down 0-2 in a best-of-seven series have roughly a 15 percent chance of winning the series. Only six teams have ever done it, but three of them have done it in the last six seasons. The Dodgers are not playing bad baseball. In Game 1, they might have had a better offense, but they couldn't hit when they needed to. Game 2 was mostly their bullpen's fault. However, it doesn't bode well for them as they lost their games against Tarik Escobal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Blake Snell (7) pitches during the first inning of the NLCS game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Oct. 13, 2025. (IMAGN)

The Dodgers have one of the deepest starting rotations in baseball history. This is more opinion than fact, but they can essentially roll an ace every game. The lone ace tonight is Blake Snell, making his second start of the postseason. In Snell's game against the Braves, he went 3.2 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 run. He struck out five batters, but also walked five. He walked 16 batters in 42.2 innings during the regular season, so this game was out of the question. He didn't face the Brewers this season, but he held them to a .172 batting average against him during their career. Take Gary Sanchez out of the lineup and they're 4-for-41 (0.095 avg.) against him.

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I think the Dodgers win tonight, but I'm not willing to bet on it -172. Instead, I think this is a game where we get some success from the Dodgers offense. I doubt Gasser will last more than three innings, but eventually this Brewers bullpen should falter a bit. I just don't think tonight will be a high-scoring game. I wouldn't be surprised to see Shohei Ohtani either. Give me over 3.5 runs for the Dodgers tonight.

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