LOS ANGELES — Milwaukee needed only one inning to take back the lead. By the end of the night, the Brewers had taken something considerably larger from the Dodgers: nearly all their room for error.
Jake Bauers hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Garrett Mitchell followed with a solo shot in the seventh inning Wednesday, lifting Milwaukee to a 6–2 victory and a 3–0 lead in the National League Championship Series. The Brewers are one win from the World Series. The two-time defending champion Dodgers now have to win four consecutive games to keep their season alive.
The comeback arrived immediately after Los Angeles had finally moved in front. Will Smith's two-run double in the sixth gave the Dodgers a 2–1 lead, turning five innings of Milwaukee pitching control into a sudden deficit. Rather than spend the rest of the night trying to recover it one base at a time, the Brewers answered with consecutive home runs off Blake Snell.
Jackson Chourio had opened the game with a homer of his own. Milwaukee finished with three, nine hits and runs in each of the final three innings. A game that had been defined by starting pitching for most of six innings ended with the Brewers adding to their lead while their relievers protected it.
Bauers and Mitchell reverse the game
Andrew Vaughn began the seventh by drawing a walk. Christian Yelich replaced him as a pinch-runner, giving Milwaukee the tying run on first with nobody out.
Bauers made the substitution's immediate purpose almost irrelevant. With the count full, he drove Snell's next pitch over the right-field wall, bringing Yelich home and putting the Brewers ahead 3–2. Statcast measured the drive at 412 feet with an exit velocity of 109.4 mph.
Mitchell followed by sending a 1–0 pitch to right-center for another home run. His drive traveled a projected 428 feet at 111.5 mph, extending the lead to 4–2. Snell had lost both the advantage and control of the inning before recording an out.
Cooper Pratt then singled, prompting Los Angeles to turn to Evan Phillips. The Dodgers eventually escaped when Joey Ortiz lined into a double play, but the damage that determined the result had already been done. Milwaukee had converted a walk and two swings into three runs, answering Smith's double before the Dodgers could build on it.
Snell's final line reflected how sharply his outing changed. He was charged with four runs in six innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out nine. Three of those four hits left the ballpark. His ability to miss bats had kept Milwaukee quiet for long stretches; it could not undo the consequences of the pitches Chourio, Bauers and Mitchell drove out.
Gasser creates the early advantage
Chourio led off the game by homering to right-center, giving Robert Gasser a 1–0 lead before the Milwaukee starter threw a pitch. The ball traveled a projected 391 feet.
