LOS ANGELES — If the NLCS is a relay for the Dodgers, Blake Snell was the first leg, getting L.A. out to an early lead in Game 1 and setting the tone for the series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the second leg for the Dodgers in Game 2, not only extending the lead but also injecting confidence into the team as the series moved to Dodger Stadium.
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow was handed the baton for Game 3 on Thursday, with the goal of continuing the momentum and putting the Dodgers on the doorstep of another World Series appearance. And here they are, one win away from their second straight NL pennant after beating the Brewers, 3-1.
“Glas, he definitely wants to feel in a good spot with his delivery,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said pregame. “I think that the primary objective of his every single day is to feel like his delivery is in a good spot. But he is 6-foot-7, and sometimes lining those pieces up takes some time, whether that’s warming up in the bullpen or maybe trying to get in the second or third inning. We’ve seen him come out lights-out, and we’ve seen him have to navigate.”
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The latter is exactly what happened to begin Game 3, as Glasnow saw a good amount of traffic on the basepaths during the first two innings. After he got through the first inning unscathed, a second-inning triple from Caleb Durbin followed by a Jake Bauers RBI single tied the game 1-1.
Glasnow’s high-stress pitches continued following a throwing error from the pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt that put a runner on third with one out in the second. But a great play from third baseman Max Muncy saved the Dodgers’ right-hander, as Muncy snared a hard-hit ground ball and fired home to throw Durbin out at the plate. Glasnow then induced a lineout from Jackson Chourio to end the frame.
With the starter having thrown 40 pitches through the first two innings, it seemed that Game 3 was in danger of getting away from the Dodgers, with a possible early exit for the right-hander forcing L.A. to rely on its shaky bullpen for the bulk of the outs.
“I think my rhythm was a little off. Usually when I’m off, I tend to have a different rhythm with my hands and my leg,” Glasnow said afterward. “I leaned into the sinker a lot. I was ripping off everything. And it’s one pitch when I’m a little late that I can get back into the zone if I’m a tad bit late.”
Glasnow labored through the first 10 batters, but something changed in the third inning, as the 32-year-old seemed to flip the switch. The Dodgers’ right-hander struck out the side on 17 pitches, getting through Milwaukee’s 2-3-4 hitters: Brice Turang, William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Glasnow then carried that rhythm into the next frame, striking out another three batters while allowing one walk. With that, he was back in command.
“I think just after that, the relief of that [second] inning, [Max] making that good defensive play, I was able to go back out and just try to stay in the zone and get some quick outs,” Glasnow said. “I just think the overall athleticism and rhythm was a lot better.”
The Brewers managed no further damage against him, as he made it through 5 2/3 innings while allowing just that one run.
“Really proud of Tyler in the sense that, [where] the pitch count was early, and knowing we still needed length from him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said following his team’s victory. “For him to keep his wits about him and to keep making pitches, keep competing and shorten the game, that’s what we need from him. And he’s done that [the] last, call it, six or seven starts.”
For Glasnow, who missed the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series run due to injury, successfully passing the baton to the next starter represented a personal victory.
“I think last year was tough. When you’re in that position, you just want to root for the team and just be there as much as you can,” he said. “But this year, for sure, just being able to participate and just being able to contribute to the team has felt awesome.”
Through the first three games of this NLCS, starting pitching has been the main character for the Dodgers, powering them to a 3-0 lead in the series. So far against the Brewers, Dodgers starting pitchers have thrown 22 2/3 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out 25.
L.A.’s starting pitching is almost entirely the reason they now have the opportunity to sweep the Brewers on Friday in Game 4. The Dodgers haven’t gotten much from their offense in this series, with just three runs in Game 3. But with the starting pitching delivering each night and a rested bullpen that provided 3 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday, L.A.’s offense hasn’t needed to do any heavy lifting.
And now, with three legs of their NLCS relay complete, the Dodgers will turn things over to their anchor, Shohei Ohtani, to make the start in Game 4 with his team on the precipice of a second consecutive World Series appearance.
Ohtani hasn’t been himself at the plate lately. Despite his triple in Game 3, which led to L.A.’s first run, the three-time MVP is hitting just .158 this postseason. But he looked strong on the mound in his first postseason start against the Phillies in the NLDS, going six innings and allowing three runs while striking out nine. A similar performance Friday could be more than enough to get the Dodgers back to the World Series.
“I expect him to be good tomorrow,” Roberts said. “[To] be focused and put forth a good effort at the bat, too.”
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