The Dodgers have reached the point where every inning carries October weight. Milwaukee’s 6-2 win Wednesday night put Los Angeles in a 3-0 National League Championship Series hole, leaving Dave Roberts’ club with no margin left as Game 4 arrives Thursday.
Only one team has ever erased a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series: Boston’s 2004 American League Championship Series club, which stunned the Yankees. Roberts was part of that Red Sox comeback as a player. Now, with Los Angeles trying to reach a third straight World Series, he faces the task from the dugout.
The first requirement is simple: the Dodgers have to score. Their offense has produced a little more than two runs a game through the first three losses. But a four-game rescue job would also demand careful work from a pitching staff that may have to cover every possible situation before the series is over.
Glasnow gets the ball with the bullpen ready
Tyler Glasnow will start Game 4 for Los Angeles, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT and 5 p.m. PT on FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
Glasnow has been a strong October option during his two postseason runs with the Dodgers. In seven playoff appearances, including four starts, he owns a 1.73 ERA, and Los Angeles has won all seven of those games. His most recent outing came in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Atlanta, when he allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings while issuing five walks.
The Dodgers would welcome a long night from the right-hander, but Roberts cannot afford to wait around if command or effectiveness slips. The club’s major late-inning arms — Tanner Scott, Edwin Díaz and Alex Vesia — were unused in Game 3. With an off day before Wednesday’s game, the bullpen should be fully available.
That gives Roberts room to make Game 4 a matchup-heavy affair if needed, using the varied looks that helped carry Los Angeles through much of 2025. There is no reason to preserve relievers for a tomorrow that may not come.
Skubal and Yamamoto would be lined up next
Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are not expected to work from the bullpen in Game 4. Both would be operating on short rest, and the Dodgers would need them as starters should they keep the series alive.
If Los Angeles wins Thursday, Skubal would be set for Game 5 on normal rest. He gave up two runs over five innings in the NLCS opener against Milwaukee, but the Dodgers would need a deeper performance in a potential elimination game, particularly if Game 4 drains the bullpen.
There is ample postseason history behind that hope. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has posted a 2.13 ERA in eight career playoff starts.
Yamamoto would be in line for Game 6, also with regular rest and aided by a travel day before his next scheduled turn. He entered this postseason carrying the reputation built during a standout 2025 October, then opened his 2026 playoff work by striking out 10 Braves over seven innings of one-run ball.
Milwaukee got to him in Game 2, however, scoring three runs and knocking him out after 2 2/3 innings. If the series returns to Los Angeles for a sixth game, Roberts may be more willing to deploy the bullpen aggressively with the travel day providing some breathing room.
A possible Game 7 would bring out every arm
Should the Dodgers force a seventh game, Blake Snell would be the likely starter. He had Milwaukee under control in Game 3 until Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell opened the seventh inning with consecutive home runs. Snell could provide length, but he would not be guaranteed a long leash in an all-or-nothing game.
Los Angeles carries 13 pitchers on its NLCS roster, and nearly every one of them could be an option if a Game 7 materializes. Even Yamamoto could enter the conversation after his back-to-back-day work during the 2025 World Series.
For now, those are merely plans waiting for a first victory. The Dodgers must begin with Glasnow, a livelier lineup and a bullpen deployed without restraint. Four straight wins would put them alongside the 2004 Red Sox in postseason history; one more Milwaukee win sends the Brewers on to the World Series.
