The season could come to an end Thursday, Oct. 15, or soon after. And for those who think the Brewers are scary, let’s not forget about something else – the Department of Justice and Securities Exchange Commission.
rBoth are conducting parallel investigations of Mark Walter, controlling owner of the Dodgers, for potential financial improprieties at two insurance companies controlled by Walter and at Guggenheim Partners, where Walter is chief executive officer, Bloomberg has reported. The Department of Justice has not disputed the investigation and Walter's companies have said they're working with the government.
And the sales have begun.
In August, Walter agreed to sell his controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for a valuation of $12.5 billion. In September, Walter and business partner Todd Boehly sold their share of approximately 13% in the Chelsea soccer team for more than $1 billion, according The Financial Times.
Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten adamantly denied the Dodgers are for sale. But Will Walter and his parters still be in positions to build teams with massive payrolls?
Other financial troubles loom
Let's say Walter and his companies are right. They did nothing wrong. The Department of Justice and Securities Exchange Commission gave them a clean bill of health and a note of apology for all of the aggravation.
Trouble still looms.
Major League Baseball is pressing for a hard salary cap that would rip away a massive advantage for Los Angeles. So hard that it's likely the sport will suffer from a strike or a lockout. Understandably, baseball fans must relish watching Los Angeles, the league's second biggest market, losing to Milwaukee.
Things figure to get tougher for the Dodgers if they're forced to give up one of their biggest advantages – economic power.
But the concerns extend further for Los Angeles.
After the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, manager Dave Roberts lavished his team with praise.
"There's no more talented team than the Los Angeles Dodgers," the three-time World Series-winning skipper boasted. "It's the best organization in sports, top to bottom. We're smarter, we're better, and we're tougher."
Hernández is 33 and part of the undeniable reality. They might not be dinosaurs, but their age has begun to expose them.
That includes Ohtani, who at 32 is facing concerns about his own durability. Issues with his left knee forced him to stop pitching in early July and issues with his right bicep and neck left him on the injured list for 12 days in September.
He failed to recover power at the plate, although did show progress in Game 3. He ripped a single up the middle and also reached base after being hit by a pitch and drawing a walk while going 1-for-2. Scrutiny over Ohtani's slump is legitimate but masks larger problems.
What's wrong with the race car
The Dodgers are a race car with a broken clutch. They lose 2-1 in Game1 after failing to seize on Jacob Misioroski’s struggles. They took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth of Game 3, then immediately gave up three runs in the top of the seventh on back-to-back homers.
There have been no public appearances by Walter during the playoffs, which now look like one of the most disappointing Octobers since he and Guggenheim Partners bought the Dodgers in 2012. And about that purchase…
The Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast reported instances of alleged self-dealing when Walter and Guggenheim Partners bought the Dodgers in 2012 for $2.15 billion.
Walter and his companies have denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
On stagger the Dodgers, against daunting challenges beyond the Brewers as their remarkable reign is about to end.
Let’s take you through the critical decisions Roberts made Wednesday night, the ones you second-guessed at home. They all pretty much backfired on him.
Situation: In the third inning, and again in the fifth inning, Tommy Edman comes to bat with Miguel Rojas on first base, none out, and the Dodgers trailing, 1-0. By the end of the fifth, the Dodgers had gone nine consecutive innings without scoring, and with a game plan of getting ahead before the Brewers’ vaunted bullpen could take over. Roberts does not ask Edman, one of the team’s most accomplished bunters, to sacrifice the runner into scoring position.
Roberts: “I just didn’t feel like giving up an out right there. … We could have bunted, but I felt I wanted to give Tommy an opportunity to drive in a run. … We haven’t been getting hits with runners in scoring position (3 for 32 in the postseason). To give up an out, to bank on getting a hit with runners in scoring position, I’d rather just try to maybe slug, hit a double.”
Result: Edman flied out both times. The Dodgers did not score in either inning.
Situation: In the sixth inning, with the Dodgers still trailing, 1-0, the Brewers turn to Abner Uribe, who had faced 26 batters and walked two in the postseason. Uribe walks the first two batters, and Roberts deploys his primary left-handed bench threat, Max Muncy. That takes right-handed Andy Pages out of the game; the only Dodgers with more hits than Pages this October are Kyle Tucker and Mookie Betts.
Roberts: “Abner is death on righties. You’re trying to guard against — you want to keep the inning going, and you don’t want a double play ball. Muncy’s not starting, and you want to fire that bullet in a leverage spot. First and second base, nobody out, it gives us the best chance to keep the inning going, in my opinion, and it gets Shohei up, and you have a chance to build an inning.”
Result: Muncy struck out.
———
Josue DePaula's presence was wasted in Game 3. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Situation: After Muncy, Ohtani walks to load the bases, and Will Smith follows with a two-run double to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. With the right-handed Rojas due up, Roberts opts for the left-handed Josue De Paula as a pinch-hitter. Brewers manager Pat Murphy promptly replaces Uribe with left-hander DL Hall, who had been warming up. Roberts counters with the right-handed Kiké Hernández.
Roberts: “It’s a decision: Do I want Uribe facing Rojas? Then I chose De Paula, and they made the move. At that point in time, I felt we had the matchup advantage with Kiké. … For me, all the experience that Kiké’s had, I feel very confident with Kiké taking a bat with a guy on second and third, infield in.”
Result: Hernandez struck out, and so did Edman. The inning was over, and the Dodgers would not advance another man past first base the rest of the evening. The Dodgers could have used De Paula to bat against right-handed closer Trevor Megill in the ninth inning, but Roberts had already burned him.
Murphy said Uribe was coming out after Smith’s double no matter what — at that point, Uribe had thrown six strikes and 14 balls — so Roberts could have saved De Paula had he waited to see what Murphy would do.
———
Situation: Blake Snell has retired 14 consecutive batters entering the seventh inning, with the Dodgers leading, 2-1. It’s the first time the left-handed Snell has pitched beyond the sixth inning this season, with the right-handed Andrew Vaughn leading off and the left-handed Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell to follow. Evan Phillips is warming up in the Dodgers bullpen.
Roberts: “His stuff was really good. I don’t think they were seeing him well. I was trying to get him three more hitters. We had Evan for that fourth hitter.”
Result: Vaughn walks, on six pitches. Bauers homers, on 11 pitches. The Brewers have the lead, 3-2.
Roberts: “Hasn’t given up a homer all year, but it just — it’s baseball. For me, I felt good with where Blake’s stuff was at. You’ve got to give Bauers credit.”
Situation: By that time, Snell is at 99 pitches, two shy of his season high, after the exhausting battles with Vaughn and Bauers. Roberts sticks to his plan: Snell for Mitchell, then Phillips for the right-handed Cooper Pratt.
Result: Mitchell homers, giving the Brewers a 4-2 lead. Hall and Megill combine for 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, and the Dodgers are one defeat from winter vacation.
DENVER — The NHL can’t seem to go a season without confusing its fans with controversial officiating decisions, and Wednesday night’s disallowed goal in the Colorado Avalanche’s loss to the Dallas Stars is the latest example of a league struggling to define—and consistently enforce—its own rules.
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scored Wednesday night, but he also had a goal taken away in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena. During the first period, Jaden Schwartz ripped a one-timer that bounced off Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith’s pads before deflecting off Landeskog just below his right knee and into the net.
NHL replay officials in Toronto overturned the goal, ruling that Landeskog had directed the puck into the net with a distinct kicking motion.
Credit: DNVR. Landeskog disagreed with the call.
First and foremost, this was a poor call by the officials. It’s not difficult to dissect the ruling and question the reasoning behind it. The definition of distinct is unmistakable or readily discernible. If the kicking motion was so distinct, why did it take so long to make the call? Why did it require an extended review of the replay?
Clearly, the call wasn’t as unmistakable as the rule’s wording suggests. If officials need that much time to scrutinize the footage, perhaps the motion wasn’t nearly as distinct as they ultimately determined.
After reviewing the replay several times, Landeskog’s skate does move forward. But is that really a kicking motion? Not necessarily. You have to consider the play in real time. How else was Landeskog supposed to react?
The game is faster than ever, and the players are more skilled than ever. Everything happens in a split second, leaving little time to process what’s happening, let alone consciously decide how to redirect a puck. Do we really think Landeskog had time to calculate some Jackie Chan-style maneuver to kick the puck into the net? Of course not. He was reacting to a play unfolding in front of him.
Landeskog himself seemed to share that frustration. When asked whether he felt the call was fair, the Avalanche captain pointed to the difference between watching the play in slow motion and seeing it unfold in real time.
“If you watch it in real speed, there’s no chance I can react to that and kick that puck,” Landeskog explained. “When you watch a slow-mo, it looks like a kick motion, maybe. But if you’re watching real time, there’s just, like, I have it lifted already, and I go to plant it, to skate.”
Landeskog acknowledged that the decision had been made and that it wasn’t the first time a goal had been overturned, nor would it likely be the last. Still, his explanation gets to the heart of the controversy: a movement that might look intentional in slow motion can appear entirely different at full speed.
That’s what makes this call so frustrating. There’s a difference between a player deliberately kicking a puck into the net and a puck deflecting off a skate as a player reacts instinctively. If the NHL wants to disallow goals in these situations, the distinction needs to be clearer. Otherwise, we’re left debating the same subjective interpretations that have plagued the league for years.
Maybe the NHL needs to rethink the wording of the rule. Perhaps it should remove the word distinct and simply refer to a kicking motion. At least then, the argument would be more straightforward. Landeskog’s skate moves forward as the puck makes contact just below his knee. You can make a case that there was a kicking motion, even if I disagree with the decision to overturn the goal.
But the word distinct matters. It implies something clear, obvious and unmistakable. And after watching the replay, I don’t believe the evidence meets that standard. What stands out most isn't the clarity of the kicking motion, but the inconsistency with which these types of plays seem to be judged across the NHL.
And I guarantee we’ll see another controversy like this soon. Much like goaltender interference, the distinct kicking motion could become another source of frustration for players, coaches and fans who are left wondering what the rule actually means from one game to the next.
Now, before this turns into an exercise in making excuses for the Avalanche, let’s give credit where it’s due: Wednesday night was an incredible game. Both teams played well, and Colorado and Dallas had plenty of opportunities to add to the score. Did the disallowed goal mathematically affect the final result? Of course. A goal changes the circumstances of a game, and nobody can say with certainty how things would have unfolded if it had counted.
But that doesn’t mean the call alone decided the outcome. Both teams contributed to a competitive game that ultimately went to a shootout, and either side could have found another way to win.
That’s precisely why the officiating deserves scrutiny on its own merits. This isn’t about pretending the Avalanche played a perfect game or suggesting that one decision explains everything. It’s about asking whether the NHL got a crucial call right and whether its rules are being applied consistently.
The NHL needs to be more transparent about how these decisions are made. Explain the standard. Show fans how the rule is being interpreted. Establish consistency so that players and teams know what to expect.
Because if a goal can be overturned based on a motion that remains debatable even after repeated reviews, then the league has a problem that goes beyond one game.
In my view, this was not the right call. And if the NHL doesn’t do a better job of clarifying and consistently enforcing the rule, it’s only a matter of time before we’re having this same conversation again.
DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 14: Goaltender Casey DeSmith #1, Tyler Myers #57 and Lian Bichsel #6 of the Dallas Stars defend against Gavin Brindley #54 of the Colorado Avalanche during the third period at Ball Arena on October 14, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Tonight, the Colorado Avalanche took on the Dallas Stars for the second night of a back-to-back, and ultimately lost 3-2 in a shootout. It was a wild ride which saw two Avalanche goals called back, another shorthanded goal given up and another game against Dallas decided in a shootout.
Let’s take a look at all the action from tonight.
First Period
It initially looked like Colorado had scored at two different points, but one goal was called back due to being offside, and the other one was called back for the puck being kicked into the back of the net. Jaden Schwartz converted on another beautiful setup from Fedor Svechkov but it didn’t count, then the refs decided Gabe Landeskog kicked the puck. Therefore the first period would end in a scoreless tie and the Avalanche held a slight 9-7 shot advantage.
Second Period
After the first intermission the Avs finally got on the board (officially), with a goal that counted from Landeskog, who was able to put a great tip on the puck to deflect it past Dallas netminder Casey DeSmith for the 1-0 lead.
That was not all the scoring as Dallas would tie the game at 1-1 late into the second period, with a shot from Miro Heiskanen who was completely uncovered and beat Scott Wedgewood cleanly. Thus, setting up a big third period to come.
Third Period
The Avalanche had four power play chances in this game but Stars would take the lead early into the third period with a breakaway short-handed goal from Arttu Hyry, making it 2-1 in Dallas’ favor.
Brock Nelson was able to tie it up in regulation, as he was able to find the puck right near the goal, and put it past DeSmith to make it 2-2, and we would head to overtime after that.
Overtime & Shootout
Neither team would ultimately score in overtime with it being incredibly low event and the Stars getting the only shot on goal in the five minute period. Therefore a shootout was needed. First Jason Robertson converted on Scott Wedgewood but Nazem Kadri tied it up. Nathan MacKinnon couldn’t score as the last shooter in the third round but then Roope Hintz was able to get one in the fourth round and Dallas would take this game in the shootout by a score of 3-2.
Takeaways
Honestly, after a frustrating game (to say the least) like this, I’ll more than happily take a point. Coming out of a back-to-back with 3/4 points is good work, in my opinion, and if you were to tell me that would be the outcome at the beginning of this back-to-back, I would have been more than happy to hear that. Now, that doesn’t change that there were still some frustrations during the game, despite the overall outcome. Obviously, the two overturned goals were frustrating, and the special teams were also incredibly frustrating to watch tonight.
Giving up a shorthanded goal is not at all what you want to see, and yes, it’s early in the season; we’re at game seven right now, but I feel like something still needs to be done, and quickly considering that was the third shorthanded goal given up already. We were in this boat last season watching the power play, and we’re already back here early in the season. On a much more positive side, this was a game where the second line looked really solid; obviously, Landeskog had the first goal of the game, and Nelson was the one to tie the game up in the third period after the Stars scored a shorthanded goal. There was a ton of line blending as Bednar continues to try and find a top six mix that can consistently generate offense.
For those keeping tabs on the roster, Cale Makar did play after his wife delivered twin boys this morning. Nic Roy was a surprise scratch and the team said he’s healing with a lower-body injury. Zach L’Heureux is also still out with an upper-body injury. Gavin Brindley was recalled and the Avalanche still only had 11 forwards to dress. More roster news should be forthcoming in the coming days,
Upcoming
Next, the Avalanche welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to town on Friday, October 16. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. MT.
The Dodgers hand the ball to Tyler Glasnow in a must-win Game 4 on Thursday. (Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)
The Dodgers have two pitchers who have won multiple Cy Young Awards in Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal. Another starter, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is the reigning World Series most valuable player.
None of them will be on the mound Thursday when the season will be on the line. Instead, manager Dave Roberts will put the ball — and his team’s future — in the massive right hand of Tyler Glasnow, who will have no margin for error.
“It’s win or go home,” Skubal said. “Our backs are against the wall.”
That’s not how Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, saw things playing out when he traded three prospects to Detroit for Skubal in August. Or when he spent $182 million to sign Snell before last season. Or when he committed $325 million to sign Yamamoto the season before that.
And while that may not be the way the Dodgers wanted things to play out, they say they like their chances — for one night, at least.
“Everybody in the team is very confident in his ability and the stuff that’s coming out of his hand and doing his job,” Skubal said of Glasnow.
“I feel great about Glas,” utility man Kiké Hernández added. “He’s got some of the best stuff in the game. I feel like our pitchers have given us a chance every day to win a game, and we just haven’t hit. So we just got to hit.”
Glasnow started the season as the No. 3 starter, but before the Dodgers had gotten six weeks into their schedule, he was on the injured list because of lower back spasms. He spent most of the season there, pitching more innings in minor-league rehab starts than he did for the Dodgers between May and September.
He returned to make six starts down the stretch, striking out 49 in 34-1/3 innings to finish the season 5-2 with a 3.53 earned-run average in 13 starts, then held Atlanta to one hit over 4-2/3 innings in the deciding game of the division series.
“He’s fresh,” Roberts said of Glasnow. “He’s got a lot of arm talent. He’s got experience certainly in the postseason. We’ve got a lot of guys behind him” in the bullpen.
“I think he’s going to pitch well.”
The Dodgers’ season is depending on that. Glasnow, however, is just approaching it as another start.
“When I was younger maybe I’d feel it and get excited, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I can throw 105 if I try hard,’” he said. “Now it’s more about trying to settle in and go back to as close of a normal feeling as possible, not trying to chase it and be any different or any more or any less. Just try to stay with it and what I’ve done all week, my preparation, how I feel on the mound, and just keep it consistent.”
Glasnow, 33, has pitched in 17 postseason games for Tampa Bay and the Dodgers, going 2-6 with a 4.27 ERA. Only Snell, among Dodgers starters, has more playoff appearances. But Glasnow hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2020 division series when he was pitching for the Rays.
If he can give the Dodgers a boost Thursday, however, if he can extend their season just one more day, it could give the team new life.
Only one team has come back from a three-game deficit to win a best-of-seven League Championship Series and that was the 2004 Boston Red Sox team Roberts played for — a team that also gave the ball to its fourth-best starting pitcher with its season on the line.
On the afternoon of Game 4, with the New York Yankees looking to beat Derek Lowe and sweep the Sox, Boston’s Kevin Millar stepped on the field at Fenway Park and issued a warning.
Dave Roberts of Boston steals second past Derek Jeter of the Yankees in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Roberts and the Red Sox became the only team to come back from down 3-0 to win an LCS. (Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)
“Don’t let us win tonight,” he shouted. “If we win today, we’ve got Pedro [Martínez] coming back and then [Curt] Schilling will pitch Game 6 and anything can happen in a Game 7.”
The series played out exactly as Millar predicted. And if Glasnow can rescue the Dodgers, they would have their three high-paid aces — Skubal, Yamamoto and Snell — lined up for the next three elimination games.
But none of that matters if they lose Thursday.
“We just need to win tomorrow’s game,” Skubal said.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' season, and their quest for a World Series three-peat, is on the ropes. Their backbreaking 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night has them now staring down a 3-0 hole in the NLCS. History, for as much of it as the Dodgers have made the prior two seasons, isn't on their side this time around.
But they do have one guy in that clubhouse who knows what it's like to buck the trend.
"It's certainly possible," manager Dave Roberts told reporters about coming back from 3-0 down. "I've lived it."
Has there ever been a 3-0 comeback in MLB?
"Don't let us win tonight."
Kevin Millar stood on the field at Fenway Park that October night 22 years ago. Shouting that at anyone close enough to listen. The Boston Red Sox were down 3-0 in the ALCS to the archrival New York Yankees, their season on the brink. But yet there was Millar, confidently defiant of the reality that stood in front of them.
"If you let us win tonight, we’ve got Pedro (Martinez) in Game 5, (Curt) Schilling in Game 6," he continued. "And anything can happen in Game 7."
What followed was arguably the greatest comeback ever seen. Regardless of sport.
Down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Millar drew a leadoff walk. Roberts pinch ran for him and immediately stole second. Then, Bill Mueller swatted an outside cutter from the infallible Mariano Rivera up the middle. Roberts darted off, arms pumping and chest up, sliding home and pumping his fist in the air as he got back on his feet after scoring the game-tying run.
The rest, as the cliche goes, is history.
David Ortiz mashed a two-run, walk-off home run to stay alive. The Red Sox won Game 5 after that, then Game 6 and 7 to become the first − and so far only − team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Can Dodgers come back from 3-0 down?
The Dodgers are in a much different situation. There is no 84-year curse hanging over their heads. They have the two World Series trophies from each of the last two years to fall back on. But the odds are just as great. Forty-one out of 42 teams facing a sweep have gone on to be eliminated, according to MLB's Sarah Langs.
The only other team to come close was the Houston Astros when they forced a Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Rays after falling down 3-0 in the 2020 bubble, but they still lost the winner-take-all contest 4-2.
But Roberts has been here before. He knows how dire the circumstances are. Rather than sit at the podium and wax poetic about his experience, though, he wants to keep it straightforward. The Dodgers have won four in a row nine times this season. They need to do it one more time. It starts with one, though.
He knows that better than anyone.
"We got to win tomorrow," he said. "That's our only focus."
LOS ANGELES — Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell hit back-to-back homers off Blake Snell as Milwaukee regained the lead in the seventh inning, and the Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 on Wednesday to take a 3-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.
Los Angeles had just taken a 2-1 lead in the sixth before getting stunned. The loss pushed the two-time defending World Series champions to the brink of elimination.
“All three games we’ve played so far, and hopefully that continues, where just every time they score, we come back and score,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “That’s not easy to do in baseball.”
Game 4 is Thursday at Dodger Stadium, where the Brewers can become the first major league club to complete a postseason sweep after getting swept by that same opponent in the previous postseason. Los Angeles took all four games against Milwaukee in the NLCS last year.
The only other time the Dodgers trailed 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series, they were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1966 World Series.
The lone team in big league history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven postseason series was the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees.
“We’ve won four in a row a number of times this year,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ve got to win tomorrow. That’s our only focus.”
Coming into the seventh, Snell had retired 14 batters in a row. The first pitch of the game thrown by the two-time Cy Young Award winner was hit for a home run by Jackson Chourio, and his last pitch was Mitchell’s solo shot.
Andrew Vaughn drew a seven-pitch walk to open the inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Christian Yelich. Bauers followed with a 412-foot drive to right field on the 11th pitch of the at-bat for a 3-2 lead as most of the players in Milwaukee’s dugout came onto the field to celebrate.
Mitchell was next and his drive traveled 428 feet to right-center. That chased Snell, who hadn’t given up a home run in 46 1/3 innings this year entering the game. It was only the second time in his career the left-hander served up multiple home runs to left-handed hitters in one game.
And it was the latest relentless plate appearance for Bauers, who drew a 12-pitch walk from Yoshinobu Yamamoto that helped the Brewers go ahead early in Game 2.
Milwaukee, which has never beaten the Dodgers in three previous playoff series, is chasing its second pennant and first in the National League. The Brewers were in the American League when they reached their only World Series, a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.
Snell gave up four runs and four hits in six innings, struck out nine and walked two.
The Brewers extended the lead to 5-2 in the eighth on Justin Wrobleski’s wild pitch that scored Brice Turang, who reached on an infield single and advanced to third on William Contreras’ single. They added another run on Joey Ortiz’s two-strike RBI single in the ninth.
The offensively starved Dodgers took their first lead, 2-1, on Will Smith’s two-run double off reliever Abner Uribe in the sixth.
After rookie starter Robert Gasser pitched five shutout innings, Uribe entered and loaded the bases on walks to Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani. Smith, who was 1 for 25 in the playoffs, doubled off the left-center fence with one out for his first hit of the NLCS.
DL Hall took over from Uribe and stranded runners at second and third by striking out pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman.
Hall allowed one hit in 2 1/3 scoreless innings to improve to 3-0 in these playoffs. Trevor Megill got four outs for his second save of the series and fourth this postseason.
The Dodgers played from behind again after the 22-year-old Chourio connected for his third career leadoff homer as fans were still heading to their seats.
After that, Mitchell walked and Cooper Pratt singled in the second before Snell retired 14 in a row — six on strikeouts — before getting hammered in the seventh.
The Dodgers had runners on base in all but three innings, but couldn’t get enough across. They have yet to homer in the NLCS.
Ohtani was 1 for 2 with a walk while hitting sixth in the order, the lowest he’s batted since joining the Dodgers three years ago.
As the postseason wraps up without the Braves, it’s beginning to get into the season for awards and a flurry of offseason activity before the seemingly inevitable lockout.
California Post senior sports reporter Edward Lewis captured multiple videos of fans exiting the stadium behind the bleachers in centerfield.
The news of the Dodgers leaving early came after they failed to fill out the stadium.
Dodgers fans exit NLCS Game 3 matchup early. Edward Lewis of The California PostDodgers fans leave Game 3 of the NLCS early. Edward Lewis of The California Post
From the game’s opening pitch until the final out, Dodger Stadium was littered with empty seats, with the colors of blue and yellow chairs sprinkled throughout — even though the cost of tickets plummeted by 42% before the game began.
With Wednesday’s loss, the Dodgers are now facing a 3-0 deficit in the series and are a game away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers spent most of the game trailing the Brewers after Jackson Chourio made history on the game’s opening pitch.
Chourio saw a fastball come his way on the first pitch of the game and sent it over the right center-field fence for a solo home run.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani reacts to being walked in the sixth inning. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell settled in from there, striking out nine batters through six innings.
With the bases loaded and only one out, Smith hit a two-RBI double to score Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez.
Through most of the postseason, the Dodgers have struggled to bring runners home while in scoring position, and did just that after Smith’s rally starter as he and Shohei Ohtani were left stranded on third and second after Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman were struck out to end the inning.
Blake Snell gave up back-to-back home runs to the Brewers in the seventh inning. AP Photo/Ashley Landis
Jake Bauers worked an 11-pitch at-bat against Snell in the inning and finished it with a two-run homer to end the game. Garrett Mitchell followed in the next at-bat by launching a changeup that was left hanging over the middle of the plate, 428 feet towards center field to make it a 4-2 game.
Milwaukee tacked on one more run in the eighth, sending the fans home. After they left, Joey Ortiz hit an RBI single to left to give the game its final score.
As the Dodgers are on the verge of being swept in the playoffs for the first time since 2023, they will host Milwaukee for Game 4 on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. PT.
Nets coach Jordi Fernández said preseason games may not count, but they matter. They’re less about wins and losses but playing hard and well.
The Nets’ preseason finale was their first defeat, beaten 144-128 by Miami before a sellout crowd of 19,600 at Kaseya Center.
And tuneup or no, there were plenty of positives, negatives and questions to be taken from Wednesday night.
The good?
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, drives on Michael Porter Jr. during the Nets’ 144-128 preseason loss to the Heat on Oct. 14, 2026 in Miami. NBAE via Getty Images
Michael Porter Jr.’s game-high 27 points on 4-for-8 shooting from deep. And some of the youth, from rookie Mikel Brown Jr.’s 15-point preseason debut to sophomores Egor Dëmin (17 points on 4-for-7 from deep, three assists, two steals) and Nolan Traore (12 points, five assists).
The bad?
All-Star Julius Randle (4-for-13, game-worst minus-19) and veteran Moritz Wagner (minus-13 in 22 minutes). And Porter’s lone rebound won’t cut it.
And the downright ugly?
Defending the paint and protecting the rim. The Nets never came close to doing either.
“[The problem was] just defense. I mean, it was a very poor defensive game,” Fernández admitted. “[It’s the] second time that we’ve given up in one half 70 points — 69 in the first half, 75 in the second. That’s unacceptable. And if we want to be a competitive team, we have to play better defense than that.”
The Nets — who finished preseason 3-1 — were outscored a staggering 62-38 in the paint, allowing 31-for-40 shooting. Much of that was a combination of Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance and Day’Ron Sharpe’s early foul trouble.
The first may well have led to the other.
Julius Randle, who had an off night, looks to make a play as Klay Thompson defends during the Nets’ preseason loss to the Heat. NBAE via Getty Images
Antetokounmpo finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks, a plus-15 in just 23 minutes. He may have been one dime shy of a triple-double, but was plenty good enough to be the deciding factor Wednesday.
The Nets tried to attack the paint early with Miami’s Bam Adebayo out, but their own rim protection was far more lacking.
Sharpe picked up three quick first-quarter fouls in just 4:49, and Antetokounmpo had his way. The Nets failed to pick him up early, and let him get a head of steam. They ended up paying for it, falling behind by as much as 13.
The Nets watched Antetokounmpo pile up 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks by halftime, when they trailed 69-66.
Porter was on fire throughout, but Dëmin catching fire helped the Nets erase a double-digit deficit into a brief third-quarter lead.
Brief.
Dëmin’s assist to Sharpe put the Nets up 76-75. And his 3-pointer off a Porter feed gave them an 84-83 edge with 7:12 left in the third.
But the Nets coughed up 10 unanswered and never recovered.
Davion Mitchell needed six stitches on his face after he fell into Sharpe’s knee to open the third.
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 13: Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 13, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Knicks host the Raptors (2-1) Thursday at Madison Square Garden in the final preseason game for both. Revenge? Do preseason scrimmages matter enough to call this a revenge game? Winning would be nice, though. The world champs have dropped all four of their preseason games, with the worst game of the bunch coming on Tuesday in Toronto.
On the second night of a back-to-back, coach Mike Brown rested his starters and the reserves suffered a 50-point beating. Kawhi Leonard (in his first game since rejoining the Raps) scored 21 points in 17 minutes. Scottie Barnes added 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Collin Murray-Boyles dropped 19 and nine. RJ Barrett had 17. James Wiseman led New York with 18 points and 10 rebounds while the rest of the team struggled to stay in their shorts.
The takeaway? When Toronto plays its actual rotation and New York does not, the gap is wide.
Toronto is built with two-way versatility and physicality up front. With Leonard and Barnes on the wing, and Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the backcourt, they have enough talent to be a problem. Jakob Poeltl anchors the paint and remains a serviceable center.
New York has spent the preseason evaluating depth pieces and managing minutes for the starters. Tonight will be the last dress rehearsal before they uncork their season on Tuesday. We assume that means the starters will play a little longer, as they get back into full game shape, and Mike Brown will use this time to get last looks at the guys hovering on the edge of the roster. Prediction? Another L to run the table, of course!
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (0-4) at Toronto Raptors (2-1) Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2026 Time: 7:30 PM ET Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC TV: MSG Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - FEBRUARY 7: Jared McCain #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball in front of Reed Sheppard #15 of the Houston Rockets during the second half at Paycom Center on February 7, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tonight marks the third and final preseason game for the Houston Rockets. On the other side of the court, the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing their fifth game that doesn’t count.
Obviously, some of that is due to the Rockets taking a trip across the Pacific Ocean to play a pair of games with the Dallas Mavericks. Additionally, Houston knows its players and probably already has a decent idea of what the rotation will look like when the games start to count. Marcus Smart is new to the team but not to Ime Udoka. Bogdan Bogdanovic is the other new addition that figures to get minutes, and he’s a 34-year-old that knows the ropes. There isn’t a lot that needs to be worked out.
The Thunder of course still retain their core from last season, but had to make some trades to make their financial lives better down the road. The Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams (“J-Dub” for the kids at home) both had their big rookie extensions kick in this season and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets a $20.8 million bump in his salary next season. And they have to figure out a Cason Wallace extension by Monday or will risk him hitting restricted free agency next summer (and there will be suitors for him, I assure you). Due to those factors, they traded Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe in the offseason to get cheaper on the books.
OKC is also integrating rookies Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz into their lineups, and also get a full offseason with Jared McCain and Nikola Topic, though the latter has missed all of preseason with a back injury. The point is that OKC is going to be a different team this season, especially in the regular season. A few more games probably helps them a lot more than the Rockets.
We’ll see you back here Wednesday for the start of the regular season!
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Tuch scored twice and added an assist and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Jordan Kyrou had a goal and assist, Justin Holl and Ivan Miroshnichenko also scored and Charlie Lindgren stopped 26 shots to help the Capitals snap a two-game losing streak.
Josh Anderson scored twice and Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki added goals for the Canadiens.
Montreal got off to a quick start when Anderson, alone at the net front, buried a feed from Alex Newhook 4:56 into play. Minutes later, Kryou responded, cutting to the middle before rifling a quick shot past Jakub Dobes.
Roughly halfway through the first, Montreal regained the lead, as Hutson, playing against younger brother Cole for the first time, beat Charlie Lindgren on a quick shot from the slot. With 25 seconds to go in the period, the Capitals tied it 2 on a power play. Ivan Miroshnichenko’s backdoor feed to Tuch went off Anderson’s stick and in.
Washington took a 3-2 lead 6:16 into the second period, when Tuch had a short-handed goal. Anderson tied it again from close range.
Justin Holl broke the tie with 7:31 minutes to go, beating Dobes on a point shot through traffic. Tuch added an insurance goal minutes later for his fifth of the season.
STARS 3, AVALANCHE 2, SO
DENVER )(AP) — Roope Hintz scored in the fourth round of the shootout and Dallas beat Colorado in a game where the Avalanche had two early goals disallowed.
Hintz sent a wrist shot past Scott Wedgewood. Casey DeSmith secured the win by stopping Brock Nelson.
Miro Heiskanen and Arttu Hyry scored for the Stars, who split a back-to back set of games with the Avalanche. They lost 3-2 at home the night before.
Hyry nearly won it in overtime but sent a bouncing puck off the post. Hyry’s short-handed tally off a steal against Cale Makar gave the Stars a 2-1 lead early in the third period before Nelson tied it with 11:39 left.
The Avalanche had quite a night of disallowed goals and close calls. Jaden Schwartz saw his score overturned in the first period after the Stars successfully challenged for offsides. Later in the period, Gabriel Landeskog’s goal was taken off the board when it was ruled the captain made a kicking motion to knock in the puck.
In the third, Gavin Brindley thought he scored and even began celebrating with teammates. But the officials never ruled it a goal and replays showed it glanced off both posts and didn’t go into the net.
They had another slow start, allowing a goal less than a minute into the first period before rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov allowed a backbreaking goal with 4:18 left in the third period. The Penguins had rallied from two goals down to tie the game in the third before losing 5-3.
There were a couple of positives to take from the game (like Sidney Crosby's performance), but there were also plenty of negatives, including Rickard Rakell's continued slow start.
Rakell has played in all seven games to start the year, but has only two points (all assists). To make matters worse, he hasn't come close to scoring and has been a net negative each time he's on the ice. He's not doing anything offensively or defensively, whether it's at 5v5 or on the power play.
Rakell has notoriously been a slow starter throughout his career, but he's never looked this bad to start a season since becoming a Penguin. Because of this, it makes the most sense to move him further down the lineup and promote someone else to the top line.
For example, Nick Robertson scored his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday and has done most of his damage in a fourth-line role. He should get another crack on the top line with Crosby and Rust, especially since Crosby and Robertson showed at least a little bit of chemistry at the start of the year.
You could move Rakell down to the third line to play with Ben Kindel, who's had a rotating cast of linemates at the start of the season. It'd be a fascinating fit, but it could jump-start Rakell since Kindel won't be afraid to let him rip the puck.
The fourth line could then feature Elmer Soderblom with Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte. The staff needs to give Soderblom more looks, especially after he played so well against the Stars on Saturday.
This would make the Penguins' lineup a bit more balanced, and it would still give Rakell a chance to rebound. He won't have to play almost 20 minutes a night like he's playing right now.
Now, if Rakell's play doesn't rebound after a demotion, then the Penguins have a bigger problem on their hands.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: Jake Bauers #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a two run home run in the seventh inning during Game Three of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In Game Two of the NLCS on Monday, Jake Bauers had what was one of the best at-bats in the history of the franchise. Against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of the best postseason pitchers of his generation, he worked a 12-pitch walk, which was followed by a two-run single that chased Yamamoto and sent the Brewers on their way.
That at-bat had a short reign as the best at-bat of Bauers’ career.
With one out in the seventh inning, against a cruising ace, just after the Dodgers had gotten to Abner Uribe, seized a late lead, and snagged all of the game’s momentum, Bauers one-upped himself. He battled Blake Snell for 11 pitches, the last of which ended up deep into the right field seats at Dodger Stadium. The Brewers never looked back.
Bauers wasn’t the only hero. Jackson Chourio homered on the game’s first pitch. Garrett Mitchell followed Bauers with a homer of his own. Robert Gasser was huge, with five scoreless innings. DL Hall had one of the biggest moments of any Brewer reliever in a postseason full of big moments for Brewer relievers. The defense looked good. But Bauers grabbed the headlines and the memories, and the Brewers now just need one win in four tries to get somewhere they haven’t been in 44 years: the World Series.
Milwaukee got things going right away. On the very first pitch of the game, Chourio jumped on a fastball down the middle and hit it over the wall in right field. It was the last thing the Dodgers needed, and a huge early jolt for the visiting team, as Milwaukee took an early 1-0 lead. With his third career postseason leadoff homer, Chourio moved into a tie for second on the all-time list for leadoff home runs in the playoffs. Here’s where I remind you he is 22.
It’s a good thing they got to Snell when they did. After Chourio’s homer, Snell struck out the next three batters on just 11 pitches. In the second, he allowed a couple of baserunners—Mitchell walked and Cooper Pratt singled with one out—but he got out of that jam, and then completely locked in. After Pratt’s single, Snell retired the next 14in a row. He looked dominant in doing so.
In a twist that few would have seen coming, though, Gasser was ready to match Snell. He did it very differently—Gasser wasn’t working with strikeout stuff, and he got some help from his defense (as seen by Luis Lara’s play in the second inning, shown below)—but the Dodgers found themselves unable to square him up. He scattered a few hits and dealt with leadoff baserunners three times, but no runner advanced past second, and the Dodgers never felt like they got much of a threat going against the Brewer lefty. Gasser even stayed in to face the top of the order a third time; with a runner on first base and one out, Mookie Betts hit a hard line drive to center that was caught on a slide by Mitchell, and Freddie Freeman grounded out harmlessly to end the fifth, and Gasser’s evening.
It was a fantastic outing for the young Brewer lefty. Building off of his good showing in San Diego—when he allowed one run on three hits in four innings—Gasser went five scoreless, with three strikeouts, three hits allowed, one walk, and a hit batter.
After Snell threw a fourth straight perfect inning in the sixth, the Brewer bullpen took over, with Uribe on to face the middle of the Dodger lineup. Uribe, though, didn’t have it today. He walked Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker on just nine pitches, which injected major life into the Los Angeles crowd. Dave Roberts, sensing a moment, pulled Andy Pages to get Max Muncy an at-bat versus the right-handed Uribe, an aggressive but understandable move with Uribe needing to face another batter. Muncy got ahead of Uribe 2-1, but Uribe found it and came back to strike out Muncy.
With Hall warm in the bullpen, Pat Murphy made a surprising non-move: he let Uribe stay in to face Shohei Ohtani. Uribe still couldn’t find the zone; he walked Ohtani on five pitches, and the bases were loaded with one out for Will Smith. Smith, knowing that Uribe badly needed a first-pitch strike, sat on the fastball and got one right down the middle—he blasted it off the wall in left for a two-run double that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Murphy has made all the right moves all postseason thus far, and it’s difficult to second guess him… but not pulling Uribe for Hall against Ohtani was a mistake that you could see coming. Uribe has worked a lot, and he didn’t have it tonight. After the Dodgers announced Josue De Paula as a pinch-hitter, Murphy removed Uribe for Hall, and Roberts countered by replacing De Paula with Kiké Hernández. With runners on second and third and one out, Hall struck out Hernández and Tommy Edman to keep the Dodgers at two—a huge pair of outs from the Brewer lefty.
Now, though, the Brewers needed to get something cooking against a starting pitcher who’d been absolutely mowing them down ever since the second pitch of the game. Snell was only up to 81 pitches, and he still had not allowed a baserunner since Pratt’s one-out single in the second inning. But he’d been sitting a while. Finally, leading off the seventh inning, the Brewers ended Snell’s run of 14 straight when Andrew Vaughn worked a seven-pitch walk, which got the bullpen moving for Los Angeles.
Christian Yelich replaced Vaughn as a pinch runner while Bauers came up to the plate. With Bauers’ long at-bat against Yamamoto fresh on the mound, and with Snell approaching 90 pitches, the Brewers hoped Bauers might work another long at-bat.
So he got ahead 2-1. On 2-2, he fouled off a couple pitches. He worked to 3-2. He fouled off another pitch. And then another. Then he hit one hard down the right-field line, one that looked like it might be going out off the bat… but it went foul too.
The next one did not go foul. Bauers got a middle-middle fastball on the eleventh pitch of the at-bat and he detonated it. He hit it 109.4 mph deep into the seats in right field, a two-run homer that flipped the scoreboard back in the Brewers’ favor. Two days after his 12-pitch at-bat that sparked Milwaukee’s rally against Yamamoto, an 11-pitch at-bat ended even better against Snell. A remarkable moment.
The Brewers weren’t done with Snell. With Mitchell, a lefty, up, Roberts tried to get one more batter out of his starter. It was a bad idea. Mitchell got a 1-0 changeup that got way too much of the plate, and Mitchell blasted it even harder and further than Bauers had, a 111.5 mph, 428-foot, no-doubt shot that doubled Milwaukee’s lead.
Hall continued for the Brewers in the bottom of the seventh, now pitching with a 4-2 lead. He got some help from his defense: Joey Ortiz made a nice pick on a short hop to get Betts for the first out, and Chourio made a nice running catch for the second. Ortiz made another fine play on a weak ground ball, and Hall had taken his turn in the Brewer bullpen spotlight: five batters, five outs, two high-level-of-difficulty inherited runners stranded.
Roki Sasaki started the eighth for the Dodgers, but he was getting a lot of plate. Turang reached on a check-swing infield single with one out, and Contreras followed with a base hit up the middle, putting runners on the corners with one out for Yelich, who was getting his first at-bat of the game. Roberts moved to lefty Justin Wrobleski for Yelich, who faced a drawn-in infield. He just missed an extra-base hit on a chopper down the left-field line that was called foul on the first pitch he saw (upon further review… it really looked like it may have been fair), but it turned out the Brewers didn’t need Yelich to come through to get that insurance run: a ball in the dirt squirted away from Smith, both runners advanced, and the Brewers took a 5-2 lead. Wrobleski struck out Yelich and Bauers to end the inning, but Milwaukee now had a three-run lead that they only needed to protect for six more outs.
Hall, having a night, stayed on for the bottom of the eighth. Tucker put up a battle to lead off the inning, but he’s no Bauers, and he flew out to center on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. Hall then had a favorable matchup against Muncy, who’d entered for Pages in the sixth, and Muncy popped out. With two outs, Ohtani ripped a single at 114 mph up the middle—by far the best contact of the series for him—and Hall was removed in favor of closer Trevor Megill, who was brought in to face Smith. Smith flew out harmlessly to Lara in right, and the Dodgers were down to three outs.
Pratt picked up his third hit of the game in the top of the ninth, and with two outs he moved to second with a stolen base. Ortiz, who looked a bit better at the plate today but had some tough BABIP luck, snuck one through this time—a grounder got past Muncy into left field, and Pratt scored. Classic Brewers baseball. Chourio bounced out to end the inning but Megill, a pitcher unused to getting more than three outs, now had a four-run lead to work with.
It turned out Megill did not need the extra cushion. He calmly retired the Dodgers in order, and the Brewers had a 6-2 victory and a 3-0 series lead.
What a remarkable, resilient team. After looking helpless against Snell for the bulk of the game, and after the Dodgers finally broke through against the Brewer bullpen in the sixth, Bauers, Mitchell, and the Brewers struck back with a sledgehammer. The Bauers homer is immediately one of the greatest moments in the history of the franchise. Mitchell’s was another exclamation point. But let’s not forget Hall’s work; his two strikeouts in the previous inning, in retrospect, could not have been bigger.
The Brewers, improbably, have a chance to close the series tomorrow night. That game is at 7pm. Tyler Glasnow will start for the Dodgers, and we’ll see what the Brewers do with their pitching staff; it’s likely we’ll see Dustin May, and I’d bet you some money that Aaron Ashby will feature big time given that he didn’t end up getting used tonight.
