Category: Sports News

Things couldn’t have gone better for the Brewers in Milwaukee to start the NLCS. For the first time in their history, they’ve got a 2-0 lead in the Championship Series. Things get trickier today, though, as the series shifts to California and the glaring advantage that the Dodgers hold in starting pitching could become more obvious.

The Dodgers will start two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, the 33-year-old lefty who pitched to a 1.90 ERA in nine starts this regular season and who pitched eight innings of nearly flawless baseball when he shut down the Brewers in Game One of last season’s series to the tune of eight innings, no runs, one hit, no walks, and ten strikeouts. But it remains to be seen whether Snell is in top form at the moment. While he was excellent when on the mound during the regular season, Snell threw only 42 2/3 innings, and he hasn’t had a start that went more than four innings—including a shaky outing against the Braves in the NLDS—since September 11th.

In that start against Atlanta, the “bad” Snell reared his head, even though he was able to hold them to one run in 3 2/3 innings—Snell gave up only one hit but walked five batters while getting only 11 outs on 90 pitches. Milwaukee will look to do what they’ve been doing in this series: grind out at-bats, get the pitch count up, not let him get comfortable. Snell is fully capable of turning in a start like he did in the NLCS last season, but if the Brewers can be patient enough to get a few runners on the bases, the fact that he’s one of the most unhittable starting pitchers in the league may not matter as much.

To counter Snell, the Brewers go with their own lefty, the young Robert Gasser. Bobby Gas has pitched quite well over the last couple of months, and that continued into the NLDS, when he allowed one run on three hits and a walk in four innings in the series-clinching game four in San Diego. He’ll hope things go a little better than they did last year: Gasser pitched against the Dodgers last year and didn’t allow a run, but he did give up a hit and a walk while only getting two outs. Aside from that, Gasser started against the Dodgers in Los Angeles in August; that was the one game of that four-game set that the Brewers lost, but he wasn’t bad, with 6 1/3 innings, three runs, and seven strikeouts.

The big news from the dugout is that, with the lefty Snell on the mound, the Brewers did make a change in their lineup. Andrew Vaughn is in, while Christian Yelich heads to the bench despite his recent success. Vaughn also started in the first game of the series against lefty Tarik Skubal, but it’s surely stressful for Murphy to leave Yelich out of the lineup. There was no room today for Gary Sánchez, whose career numbers against Snell are wild—in 31 career plate appearances, Sánchez is 7-for-23 with five homers and eight walks (giving him a 1.484 OPS). most of those at-bats and all of those home runs are from at least six years ago, though, so it’s been a minute for the former AL East foes.

The Brewers stick with a solid defensive lineup of Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Luis Lara in the outfield plus Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers around the horn. William Contreras is behind the plate (can’t take him out right now!), and Vaughn will be the DH. On the other side, Shohei Ohtani has moved even further down in the Dodger lineup—despite his insistence that he’s on the verge of figuring it out, Dave Roberts has moved him to sixth, lower than he’s batted since his rookie season. Kyle Tucker, who despite an awful season has looked solid in this series, moves up to fourth. With Gasser starting, the Dodgers have also taken Max Muncy out of the lineup, and Miguel Rojas gets the start at third.

First pitch will come sometime shortly after 7pm central. Find the game on FS1, or listen on the Brewers Radio Network.

LOS ANGELES – Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts indicated he can relate to Shohei Ohtani -- grinding through injuries in attempt to regain his swing and end his slump.  Betts fractured his hand when he was hit by a pitch in 2024.

"When you're hurt, you just want to play," said Betts, an eight-time All-Star. “So you'll make adjustments to the swing or to your body so you can play. Then you don't want to hurt while you play, so you make the adjustments to where your body doesn't feel it.

“Sometimes it's to the detriment of who you are as a player, and you don't really realize it.’’

While Betts struggled in Los Angeles, MLB’s second-biggest market, Ohtani is a global figure.

The NLCS moves to sunny Los Angeles with the Brewers leading the Dodgers 2-0. It’s a must-win game for the Dodgers – only one team has ever gone down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series and come back to win (the 2004 Red Sox in the ALCS).

It will be a pair of lefties on the mound with Robert Gasser (5-5, 3.87 ERA) against Blake Snell (4-1, 1.90 ERA). Shohei Ohtani is in the lineup despite rumors he might be benched, but he is hitting just .150 (3-for-20) with no extra-base hits in this post-season.

The game airs on FS1 at 7 p.m. CT.

Now that we are into the offseason, it’s time to focus on who the Yankees will need to keep in the Bronx and how much they’re willing to spend.

Taking a look at MLB Trade Rumors’ arbitration projections for 2027, there are a few standouts that could use a pay raise, while others may be more debatable amongst fans. Some players will agree to deals soon after negotiations begin, while others will be left to figure out another path for themselves in free agency.

To provide some context, if the Yankees choose to tender a contract to an arbitration-eligible player and fail to reach an agreement by the deadline, which is typically in mid-January, they will have to exchange salary figures with each other for the upcoming season. A hearing will then be scheduled for their actual salary to be determined by an arbitration judge, who will compare the numbers both sides brought to the table and hear out the arguments of both sides — a messy affair that the team has typically avoided in recent memory, but has happened in the cases of players like Dellin Betances which left a sour taste in his mouth. All MLB players need three years of service time to be eligible for arbitration, assuming they haven’t signed a contract for the upcoming season. According to the league, a player is deemed to have “one year” of Major League service time upon accruing 172 days in a given year.

Here’s a look at who’s eligible along with MLB Trade Rumors’ salary projections:

• Luis García Jr. – ($11 million)
• Clarke Schmidt – ($4.45 million)
• Anthony Volpe – ($4 million)
• José Caballero – ($3.7 million)
• Heliot Ramos – ($3.2 million)
• Ryan Weathers – ($3.1 million)
• Austin Wells – ($2.6 million)
• Fernando Cruz – ($2.3 million)
• Luis Gil – ($2.3 million)

The most notable names among the group that the Yankees may want to consider shelling out for include Luis García Jr., Ryan Weathers, and Austin Wells. Each player brought value to the team throughout the 2026 season, and it’s expected that they’ll want to stick around come spring training next year.

Although he has a higher projected price tag, the Yankees will likely keep García around for next season. He performed well alternating with Paul Goldschmidt at first base and should remain a fixture in the starting lineup as Goldschmidt becomes a free agent. It’s possible that García will become a more reliable starter for the Yankees if he can find utility outside of first base and his platoon numbers level out a little more.

Despite missing the last month and a half of the regular season, Weathers has a lot of promising potential to perform well next season. He may have only had a limited role as a reliever in the postseason following his IL stint at the end of the regular season, but he was more than capable as a starter throughout the year with a 3.60 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 25 starts.

Wells remained the Yankees’ stronghold at catcher despite some external debate about Ben Rice alternating in the position when the team was in a slump. The team ultimately never wavered in withholding Rice from the stress of catching behind the plate, opted not to trade for a catcher at the deadline, and Wells built some offensive momentum later in the season after spending two weeks on the IL. His rebound continued into the postseason, finishing with a combined five hits and two doubles with four RBIs.

On the other hand, some players we could see let go include Fernando Cruz, José Caballero, Luis Gil, and Heliot Ramos. Whether due to injuries or an overall lack of success in pinstripes, there are a variety of reasons that the Yankees could be sitting on the fence for a while regarding tendering these players’ contracts.

It’s unlikely that we’ll see Cruz return to the Bronx after he suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament that prematurely ended his season. The injury commonly results in Tommy John surgery, which has a lengthy recovery time and occasionally puts players’ careers in difficult positions. The 36-year-old reliever denied surgery as a treatment option in hopes that he’d return to the mound for the postseason, but he didn’t end up making the roster.

Named a finalist for the Gold Glove as a utility player, Caballero brings a versatility that has played to the Yankees’ advantage in the 2026 season. However, his 12 defensive errors do give a reason for the Yankees to hesitate to bring him back. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Yankees let him go, as George Lombard Jr. has performed well at shortstop, and they’ll have options for second and third.

Although he exceeded expectations during his early days in pinstripes, it’s becoming less likely that we’ll see similar numbers from Gil going forward. He started four games in the majors this season, putting up a 4.61 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 29.1 innings; it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Yankees decide to part ways.

After joining the Yankees at the deadline in a trade with the Giants, Ramos still has yet to make any memorable contributions when needed most. He was benched often throughout the playoffs since he is less effective against lefty pitchers, and struck out twice during his three plate appearances in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series (though they did trade a number of minor leaguers to get him).

Two of the most debatable players who could go either way are Volpe and Clarke Schmidt. After returning from a stint in the minors this season, Volpe has proven himself on both sides of the ball and has adapted well to playing different positions in the infield. He did admittedly show up in the postseason and was one of the few Yankee batters to have a multiple-hit game during the ALDS, but he may not regain the organization’s confidence due to his poor performance in 2025 and overall inability to grow as a player since his rookie season.

The Yankees will also need also need to consider that the captain defended Volpe following the Game 3 loss to the Rays in the ALDS. During his postseason press conference, Aaron Judge mentioned that “If we were going to go win a World Series, we needed Anthony Volpe on the team.”

As for Schmidt, there are still a lot of questions left to be answered about his capabilities thus far in his career. He struggled to return after undergoing Tommy John surgery, which left him sidelined for over a year. The 30-year-old righty pitcher also appeared in only one regular season game, against Minnesota. He struck out his first batter, gave up two back-to-back singles, and recorded his second strikeout before he was replaced by Brent Headrick in the seventh. The next time he was supposed to appear for the team, he was shut down after starting to warm up in the bullpen against Arizona and subsequently his season ended.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about what kind of value he can bring to the table next year, but after the bullpen’s performance in the postseason and the final stretch of the regular season, the Yankees may not need to spend the extra cash to keep Schmidt around. They could also look to tender him a contract and then look to include him in an offseason trade, but if they can’t find a trade partner willing to take him on then they’ll be on the hook for his salary.

The scene in the NLCS shifts west to Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers have looked very beatable so far, and for the Brewers, this is the first time they have ever had a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series.

There were rumors that the Dodgers might bench Shohei Ohtani, who hasn’t been hitting at all this postseason (3-for-20 with seven strikeouts), but he’s in the lineup for tonight’s game. Since Ohtani’s two-homer game at Wrigley Field Aug. 5, he is batting .194/.289/.338 (27-for-139) with four home runs (but none since Aug. 18) and 49 strikeouts, including his six postseason games.

That’s not a guy I’d want in my lineup in a postseason game, no matter who he is.

A note about tomorrow: Game 3 between the Guardians and Rays in Cleveland has been moved from 5 p.m. CT to noon CT because of a forecast of rain Thursday evening. Thus I will split tomorrow into two threads, one for the day game between the Guardians and Rays, the other for the Brewers/Dodgers night game, which was also moved up from 8 p.m. CT to 7 p.m. CT.

7 p.m. CT: Brewers at Dodgers (Brewers lead series 2-0)

TV: FS1. Announcers: Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci.

Robert Gasser, LHP vs. Blake Snell, LHP

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com preview

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith already has a lot on his plate, given his team’s 2-0 NLCS deficit against the Milwaukee Brewers with Game 3 arriving on Wednesday.

But baseball pales in comparison to what else just arrived on Smith’s plate: his third child.

Smith’s wife, Cara, made an Instagram post on Wednesday announcing the birth of her and Will’s third daughter.

“Our third October baby girl… Carter,” the post was captioned.

View this post on Instagram

As Cara alluded to, this is the third daughter she and will have had in the month of October. Their first daughter, named Charlotte, was born in 2022. And second daughter, named Layton, was born in October of 2024. And now there’s Carter being born in October of 2026.

At this rate, it might be safe to bet on Will and Cara having a fourth daughter in October of 2028.

And Cara’s timing could not have been better, as the baby seemed to arrive during the brief break between Games 2 and 3 of the NLCS.

But Will won’t have much time to spend with his new child, as he’ll be back behind the dish on Wednesday in hopes of helping salvage the Dodgers’ season against Milwaukee.

If Los Angeles can’t recover from this 2-0 deficit, Smith will be watching the World Series at home with his newborn instead of competing in it for the third straight season.

Shohei Ohtani was indeed in the Dodgers’ lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, as manager Dave Roberts confirmed on Tuesday amid speculation that the slugger could be benched.

However, Ohtani was dropped down to the No. 6 spot in the order amid his injury-hampered 3-for-20 slump in the playoffs, the lowest he had been slotted in his Dodgers career.

“I think it’s just more of what gives our lineup the best balance,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Shohei’s all on board. Whatever it takes to win.”

The move came with the club facing a 2-0 series hole to the Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-seven NLCS.

It was another of sign that — despite their proclamations that he is close to turning things around — the Dodgers are uncertain about exactly what they will get from the two-way star, who was coming off his worst performance of the playoffs in an 0-for-4, two-strikeout clunker in Game 2.

Ohtani was not the only change the Dodgers made to their order. Another slumping bat, catcher Will Smith, slid to the seven-hole after starting the postseason in a 1-for-23 rut. Left-handed-hitting third baseman Max Muncy was replaced in the lineup at third base by right-handed-hitting Miguel Rojas, a platoon switch made to combat the Brewers starting left-handed pitcher Robert Gasser.

Elsewhere, Kyle Tucker was moved into the cleanup spot and Andy Pages was shifted to the No. 5 spot.

“I love the length of the lineup,” Roberts said. “I think that Kyle has been –– throughout his career and currently –– agnostic with pitchers, left versus right. Gasser is a guy that they’re probably going to run two times through the lineup, and if it gets a little bit beyond that, I like Kyle there.”

It was all part of the Dodgers’ efforts to shift momentum in the series, and find better answers against a Brewers pitching staff that has held them to just five runs and 10 hits in the first two games of the NLCS.

“We all know what’s at stake … There’s some pressure there,” Roberts acknowledged. “But you’ve got to embrace this. I think for me, it’s just focusing on today. Because I think, when you start thinking about we’ve got to win four games, I get nervous. But I think that we can manage winning a game tonight.”

The NLCS resumes at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, with the Dodgers looking to embark on a comeback down 2-0 in the series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The top three in the lineup remain the same, as Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández hit in the top three spots. The middle of the lineup received an adjustment that comes as little to no surprise with how Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith have hit in the postseason.

Kyle Tucker moves up to cleanup in the starting lineup, the highest spot in the order he’s been placed in this October. After a rough regular season, Tucker has found his stride at the plate at the bottom of the lineup, slashing .300/.391/.500 with a home run and two RBI over six games. Tucker has faced Milwaukee’s Game 3 starter Robert Gasser twice in his career, collecting three hits across six at-bats including a home run.

Andy Pages has also impressed at the plate this postseason, turning the page on what was a historically awful title run at the plate last year. The 2026 All-Star has five hits across 20 at-bats, with his highlights being his go-ahead, two-run single in Game 4 of the NLDS and for getting the Dodgers on the board against Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 of the NLCS. Pages has gone hitless since his Game 1 RBI single, but he moves up to fifth in the lineup against Gasser, also the highest spot he’s hit in the postseason this year.

The elephant in the room is Shohei Ohtani getting moved all the way down to sixth in the lineup. Ohtani was adamant about playing in Game 3, and Dave Roberts ultimately granted his wish.

“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there. He’s close to finding something with his swing. I feel great about it,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday just before the Dodgers workout at Dodger Stadium. “He was very convicted that he is onto something mechanically. He was adamant that he can help us. He’s well enough to help us win a baseball game. So that’s all I needed to hear.”

Try as he might to will his way into the lineup, Ohtani has been a detriment offensively since hitting his final regular season home run on Aug. 18 in Denver, and he’s carried that funk over the team’s six playoff games slashing just .150/.261/.150 with zero RBI. Ohtani had never hit as low as second in the lineup until Game 3 of the NLDS, and it’s the first time Ohtani is hitting sixth in the lineup since Sept. 19, 2020 back when he was with the Angels.

Will Smith has also struggled mightily this October, and he slides all the way down to seventh in the starting lineup. Miguel Rojas gets the start at third base over Max Muncy against the left-hander Gasser, and Tommy Edman gets the start at second base, rounding things out in the lineup. Blake Snell makes his first start since getting the ball for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.