Kyle Tucker still believes as Dodgers face NLCS elimination
Key takeaways
- The Brewers beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 3 and lead the NLCS 3-0.
- Kyle Tucker said he still believes the Dodgers can win four straight games.
- Game 4 is Thursday at Dodger Stadium, where Milwaukee can clinch the pennant.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one loss from the end of their season. The Milwaukee Brewers beat them 6-2 in Game 3 on Wednesday. Milwaukee now leads the National League Championship Series 3-0.
Kyle Tucker is not giving up. The Dodgers outfielder spoke after the game. He said he still believes in the team.
He said the Dodgers must now win four games in a row.
Only one team in baseball history has done that from 3-0 down. The odds are steep. Tucker knows it.
He still believes.
What happened
Game 3 took place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Brewers struck first. Jackson Chourio hit the first pitch of the game over the wall.
Milwaukee led 1-0. That lead held for most of the night.
Dodgers starter Blake Snell was strong. He struck out nine Brewers. He held Milwaukee in check for six innings.
Then the sixth inning changed the game.
Brewers reliever Abner Uribe walked the first two Dodgers. He walked Teoscar Hernandez. Then he threw four straight balls to Kyle Tucker.
Tucker had shown bunt during the at-bat. The bases were loaded with one out.
Will Smith then hit a two-run double. The ball went to the wall. It nearly cleared it for a grand slam.
Two runs scored. The Dodgers led 2-1. It was their first lead of the series at that point in the game.
The lead did not last. In the seventh inning, Jake Bauers faced Snell. He battled for 11 pitches.
Then he crushed a two-run home run. The Brewers led 3-2. Garrett Mitchell followed with a home run of his own. The Brewers led 4-2. The back-to-back blasts flipped the game.
Milwaukee added more runs late. A wild pitch scored a run in the eighth. Joey Ortiz singled home a run in the ninth.
The final score was 6-2.
Tucker batted fourth in the Dodgers lineup. He played right field. Shohei Ohtani batted sixth.
It was Ohtani's lowest spot in the order as a Dodger. The Dodgers moved Ohtani down after his slow start to the playoffs. Will Smith batted seventh.
Miguel Rojas started at third base. Max Muncy sat out.
After the game, Tucker spoke to reporters. He did not hide from the task. He said the team must win four games.
He said he believes in the group.
"This team has won four games before, so that's what we're going to have to do," Tucker said. "I believe in this group, the staff, the clubhouse and guys in here."
He also praised the Brewers. "They want to win as well, so we've just got to come out and get after it tomorrow," he said.
Why it matters
The Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series champions. They swept these same Brewers in four games in last year's NLCS. This year, the roles have flipped.
Milwaukee has won all three games so far.
The Dodgers' offense has gone quiet. They have scored only seven runs in three games. They have yet to hit a home run in the series.
They have struggled with runners in scoring position all postseason. In Game 3, they left chances on the table again.
Tucker is part of the story. He joined the Dodgers this past offseason on a four-year, $240 million deal. He is one of the team's star signings.
He batted cleanup in Game 3. He got on base in the key sixth-inning rally. The Dodgers need more from their whole lineup now.
The history is brutal. Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have won a best-of-seven series after falling behind 3-0. They rallied past the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. No National League team has ever done it.
The Dodgers have faced a 3-0 hole once before. That was in the 1966 World Series. The Baltimore Orioles swept them.
The Dodgers do not want a repeat of that ending.
Milwaukee's side of the story is just as big. The Brewers are one win from their first National League pennant. They are one win from their first World Series trip in 44 years.
They last played in the World Series in 1982, as an American League team.
The Brewers' bullpen has been strong all month. Their young starters have held up too. Robert Gasser threw five scoreless innings in Game 3. The Brewers have played with poise in every game.
For more on the Dodgers' lineup shuffle, read about Shohei Ohtani dropping to sixth in Game 3. For another NLCS angle, see Teoscar Hernandez and the Dodgers' Game 3 plan.
What happens next
Game 4 is Thursday at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is 7 pm CT. The Brewers can clinch the pennant with a win.
The Dodgers must win to stay alive.
If the Dodgers win Game 4, the series goes to Game 5 on Friday. Game 5 would also be in Los Angeles. Games 6 and 7, if needed, would be on Sunday and Monday.
The Dodgers need their offense to wake up. They need a home run. They need big hits with runners on base.
They need a long start from their Game 4 pitcher. And they need their bullpen to hold a lead.
Tucker set the tone after Game 3. He said the team can do it. He said the belief is still there. Now the Dodgers must show it on the field.
One win at a time. Four wins to go.
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