Brewers vs Dodgers Game 4: Is LA's Dynasty Finished?

The Los Angeles Dodgers face elimination against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the 2026 NLCS on October 15. Milwaukee leads the series 3 to 0 after winning Game 3 by a score of 6 to 2. Tyler Glasnow will start for Los Angeles, while Milwaukee could use several pitchers in a bullpen game. The Dodgers need four consecutive victories to reach the World Series. The Brewers need one.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were supposed to be chasing history this October.

Three consecutive World Series championships. A lineup filled with some of baseball's biggest names. A pitching staff capable of overwhelming almost any opponent.

Instead, they are one loss away from watching the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate at Dodger Stadium.

Three games into the National League Championship Series, the difference between these teams is becoming uncomfortable.

Milwaukee has outscored Los Angeles 15 to 7. The Brewers have collected 27 hits compared with the Dodgers' 15.

And perhaps most importantly, Milwaukee has repeatedly delivered in situations where Los Angeles has failed.

The Dodgers are not simply suffering from bad luck.

They are being outplayed.

Now comes Game 4, and the most important question isn't whether Los Angeles has enough talent to survive.

It's whether the Dodgers have any convincing reason to believe Game 4 will be different.

Brewers vs Dodgers Game 4: Date, Time, Pitchers and TV

According to the official MLB Game 4 preview, Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to start for Los Angeles.

Milwaukee has not confirmed its starting pitcher, with manager Pat Murphy considering multiple available options.

That uncertainty makes this matchup particularly interesting.

The Dodgers know which pitcher will be responsible for beginning their attempt to save the season.

The Brewers have considerably more freedom to decide how they want to attack Los Angeles.

1. The Dodgers Have More Stars. The Brewers Have Been the Better Team.

Let's stop pretending this series has been decided by one unfortunate mistake.

Milwaukee has won three consecutive games.

The Brewers have produced more hits, scored more runs and repeatedly responded when Los Angeles appeared ready to take control.

That is a pattern.

And it is worth remembering that Milwaukee entered the postseason with the best regular season record in Major League Baseball at 103 wins.

The Dodgers won 100 games.

These were the National League's two strongest regular season teams by record.

Yet much of the attention heading into the NLCS focused on Los Angeles and its attempt to win a third consecutive championship.

That makes sense from a commercial perspective.

Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman generate headlines.

But headlines don't win baseball games.

Milwaukee has shown that a roster built around depth, productive plate appearances and effective pitching can outperform a more celebrated collection of stars.

The 2026 NLCS series analysis from SB Nation provides useful context on how the teams reached this stage.

The Dodgers are undeniably talented.

But after three games, talent is no longer a convincing explanation for why they should be considered favorites.

Milwaukee has earned the right to be treated as the stronger team in this series.

2. Tyler Glasnow Could Save the Dodgers, but He Cannot Save Them Alone

If Los Angeles has one legitimate reason for optimism, it is Tyler Glasnow.

The right hander enters Game 4 with an impressive postseason track record.

The Dodgers are 7 and 0 in postseason games in which Glasnow has appeared. Across those appearances, he has recorded a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings.

Those numbers are encouraging.

But they come with an important warning.

A team's record in games involving a particular pitcher does not prove that the pitcher caused every victory.

Glasnow's performances have been valuable, but the Dodgers also need offensive production and effective bullpen work.

In his most recent postseason appearance against Atlanta, Glasnow walked five batters but limited the Braves to one run over 4 2/3 innings.

That performance demonstrated his ability to survive difficult situations.

It also showed why command could become a significant factor against Milwaukee.

The Brewers have already demonstrated their willingness to extend plate appearances.

Jake Bauers worked an 11 pitch at bat against Blake Snell in Game 3 before hitting the home run that gave Milwaukee the lead.

Against Glasnow, the strategy should be similar.

Force him to throw competitive pitches.

Avoid expanding the strike zone unnecessarily.

Make him work for every out.

If Milwaukee can increase Glasnow's pitch count early, it could force Dave Roberts to make another difficult bullpen decision.

You can hear Glasnow discuss his approach to this matchup in his official MLB Game 4 interview.

The key question: Can Glasnow pitch deep enough to prevent Milwaukee from attacking a Dodgers bullpen that has already been tested throughout the series?

He doesn't need to throw a complete game.

But Los Angeles may need something close to a dominant start.

3. Shohei Ohtani Is Becoming the Easiest Target for the Wrong Reasons

Shohei Ohtani has not produced the kind of offensive postseason expected from a player of his quality.

His ongoing right biceps and left knee issues have complicated matters.

Dave Roberts has already moved him down the batting order in an attempt to improve the lineup's production.

That decision attracted attention because Ohtani is normally one of baseball's most dangerous hitters.

But here's the problem with making him the center of every discussion about the Dodgers' struggles.

Los Angeles has scored only seven runs in three NLCS games.

That is not one player's failure.

It's a collective offensive problem.

Ohtani reached base three times in Game 3, including a sharply hit single.

Will Smith delivered a two run double that briefly gave the Dodgers the lead.

There were positive moments.

They simply weren't enough.

The official MLB Game 4 matchup report confirms that Roberts is continuing to manage Ohtani's position in the batting order while monitoring his physical condition.

But moving one superstar from the top of the lineup into the middle does not automatically fix poor offensive execution.

The Dodgers need more productive plate appearances throughout the order.

They need baserunners to advance.

They need hitters to deliver when opportunities appear.

And they need to stop expecting one famous player to rescue an entire offense.

My controversial take: Blaming Ohtani is the easiest way to avoid discussing why the rest of this expensive lineup has also failed to deliver.

Ohtani absolutely deserves scrutiny.

He does not deserve all of it.

4. Dave Roberts Is Running Out of Adjustments

When a team loses three consecutive playoff games, attention naturally turns to its manager.

Dave Roberts has already experimented with the lineup.

He has moved important hitters into different positions.

Now he must decide how aggressively to manage the pitching staff in an elimination game.

The most interesting bullpen name may be Edwin Díaz.

According to MLB's official preview, Roberts indicated that he intended to use Díaz in Game 4 after the reliever had not appeared during the first three games of the series.

That raises an obvious question.

Why would a team with a premium late inning reliever find itself facing elimination without having used him?

The answer is more complicated than simply accusing Roberts of poor management.

A manager cannot deploy a closer in situations that never arise.

Los Angeles has spent much of the series trailing or struggling to generate offense.

Still, Game 4 changes the calculation.

There is no reason to protect a bullpen strategy for a future game if the current game could end the season.

Roberts needs to be prepared to use his best available pitchers when the highest leverage situations arise.

That does not necessarily mean using Díaz only in the ninth inning.

It means making decisions according to the game situation rather than relying too heavily on traditional bullpen roles.

The controversial part is not questioning whether Roberts should use his closer differently.

It is questioning whether Los Angeles has waited too long to become more aggressive.

Game 4 will provide an answer.

5. Milwaukee's Bullpen Game Could Be a Trap for Los Angeles

On paper, a team facing an opponent without a confirmed starting pitcher might feel optimistic.

That assumption would be dangerous against Milwaukee.

Pat Murphy has multiple pitching options available.

Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, Chad Patrick and Dustin May have been identified as potential contributors to the Game 4 plan.

May adds an interesting storyline because he previously pitched for the Dodgers and was part of their 2020 World Series championship team.

However, a bullpen game is not automatically an advantage.

Milwaukee will need to manage workload carefully.

DL Hall recorded seven important outs in Game 3.

Trevor Megill completed a four out save.

Abner Uribe has appeared repeatedly throughout the postseason and struggled with command during Wednesday's game.

Those details matter.

Relievers who have been effective throughout a series can become less available or less reliable if their workload becomes excessive.

But Milwaukee also has enough unused pitching options to approach Game 4 creatively.

The official Milwaukee Brewers probable pitchers page is the most appropriate source for checking the final starting pitcher announcement.

For Los Angeles, the challenge is preparation.

Facing several pitchers with different deliveries and pitch arsenals requires adjustments throughout the game.

The Dodgers may not be able to settle into the same offensive approach for multiple innings.

That uncertainty could work in Milwaukee's favor.

The biggest misconception about this matchup is that an undecided Milwaukee starter automatically gives the Dodgers an advantage.

It might.

But the Brewers' pitching depth is one of the reasons they are leading the series.

6. Jake Bauers Is Becoming the Player the Dodgers Cannot Ignore

The Dodgers entered this series with some of the most famous hitters in baseball.

Yet Jake Bauers has become one of the most important offensive players in the NLCS.

His Game 3 home run changed the game.

But the process behind that home run was arguably more impressive than the result.

Bauers forced Blake Snell to throw 11 pitches.

He refused to give away the plate appearance.

Eventually, he received a pitch he could drive.

That is what a productive postseason approach can look like.

Not every successful at bat needs to end with a home run.

A walk can be valuable.

A long plate appearance can increase a pitcher's workload.

A timely single can decide a game.

Milwaukee has repeatedly found contributions from players who do not receive the same attention as the Dodgers' stars.

Bauers is an excellent example.

His performance also creates an interesting problem for Glasnow.

The Dodgers cannot afford to focus exclusively on Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich and William Contreras.

They must respect production throughout the Milwaukee lineup.

And when multiple hitters are capable of extending plate appearances, a pitcher faces more opportunities to make mistakes.

The Reuters report on Milwaukee's Game 3 victory documents the decisive home runs from Bauers and Garrett Mitchell.

Milwaukee does not need Bauers to hit another home run in Game 4.

It needs him and the rest of the lineup to maintain the same discipline.

7. The Most Important Stat Is Not the 3 to 0 Series Lead

The obvious statistic is Milwaukee's three victories.

But there