The Milwaukee Brewers are two wins away from the World Series. After taking both games at home to open the National League Championship Series, the Brewers carry a 2-0 series lead into Los Angeles for Brewers vs Dodgers NLCS Game 3 on Wednesday night, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium. According to Sports Illustrated, the Dodgers will hand the ball to left-hander Blake Snell, while Milwaukee counters with left-hander Robert Gasser.

Milwaukee took Game 1 by a 2-1 final on Sunday and followed it with a 7-4 win on Monday night, silencing a Dodgers team that swept the Brewers in last year’s NLCS. Now the back-to-back defending champions are in a hole they have never faced in their recent run of dominance: down 2-0, at home, and one more loss from the brink of elimination.

NLCS Game 3: Time, TV and Probable Pitchers

Brewers vs. Dodgers NLCS Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The game will be televised on FOX or FS1, with the full series carried across the FOX family of networks and FOX Deportes in Spanish.

The reported pitching matchup features two left-handers, per Sports Illustrated: Blake Snell for Los Angeles against Robert Gasser for Milwaukee. It is a fascinating contrast — Snell, the decorated veteran the Dodgers signed to front big October games, against Gasser, the young Brewer arm trusted with a potential stranglehold game on the road.

The rest of the NLCS schedule, as published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

• Game 3: Brewers at Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8 p.m. ET, Dodger Stadium
• Game 4: Brewers at Dodgers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 9 p.m. ET, Dodger Stadium
• Game 5 (if necessary): Brewers at Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 16, 9 p.m. ET, Dodger Stadium
• Game 6 (if necessary): Dodgers at Brewers, Sunday, Oct. 18, 8 p.m. ET, American Family Field
• Game 7 (if necessary): Dodgers at Brewers, Monday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m. ET, American Family Field

Brewers Two Wins From First World Series Since 1982

The stakes for Milwaukee could hardly be bigger. The Brewers led Major League Baseball with 103 regular-season wins and entered the postseason as the National League’s No. 1 seed. Now, they need just two more victories to reach their second World Series in franchise history — 44 years after their first and only previous trip.

The history of 2-0 leads in best-of-seven series is firmly on their side. According to an analysis cited by ScoresAndStats, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead have gone on to win 79 of 95 best-of-seven MLB postseason series. The World Series is scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 23, and Milwaukee can practically see it from here.

Still, the Brewers know better than to count anything. These same Dodgers swept them out of last year’s NLCS, and Los Angeles has built its back-to-back championships on resilience. “Our mentality is to stay focused. It doesn’t matter what the game state is, if we’re ahead, if we’re behind, we’re gonna stay on the aggression and stay focused,” Brewers catcher William Contreras said after Game 2, per wire reports.

Contreras and the Bullpen Are Carrying Milwaukee

William Contreras has been the breakout star of the series. He homered and drove in three runs in Monday’s 7-4 Game 2 win, adding to a postseason run that has made him one of the most dangerous hitters in October. His RBI single in the first inning answered an early Dodgers lead, and his bat set the tone for a night the Brewers’ offense simply would not be denied.

Just as important has been the Milwaukee bullpen. After the starters did their jobs, the Brewers’ relievers threw five hitless innings in Game 2 to slam the door — a near-perfect showing against a Dodgers lineup full of proven October hitters. That kind of bullpen dominance travels, and it is a major reason Milwaukee has to feel confident about the three-game stretch in Los Angeles.

Dodgers’ Backs Are Against the Wall

For Los Angeles, Game 3 is close to a must-win, and the Game 2 loss exposed real concerns. Hopes were high that Yoshinobu Yamamoto — the MVP of last year’s World Series — would steady the series, but he did not even complete three innings on Monday, pulled after throwing 75 pitches and surrendering three runs on four hits, according to wire reports.

The bigger worry may be at the plate. Shohei Ohtani is now 3-for-20 in the playoffs with no home run since August, and the Dodgers’ offense has managed just five runs across the first two games. Against a Milwaukee pitching staff that has been nearly flawless late in games, that drought cannot continue if Los Angeles wants to reach a third straight World Series.

The Dodgers did strike first in Game 2 — Teoscar Hernandez’s sacrifice fly scored Mookie Betts in the opening frame — but the lead lasted only until Contreras’ RBI single in the bottom of the inning. From there, Milwaukee steadily pulled away.

What a Brewers Win Tonight Would Mean

A Game 3 victory would give Milwaukee a 3-0 lead and three chances to close out the series — including a potential clincher as early as Thursday night’s Game 4 in Los Angeles. No team has ever come back from 3-0 in a best-of-seven MLB postseason series. For the Dodgers, that math makes Wednesday night’s game the most important of their season.

For more on how this matchup was set up, read our Dodgers-Brewers NLCS Game 1 preview, and check the full MLB playoff bracket and schedule at USA Today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is Brewers vs Dodgers NLCS Game 3?

First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The game will air on FOX or FS1.

Who is starting Game 3 for the Dodgers and Brewers?

According to Sports Illustrated, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Blake Snell, while the Brewers will counter with left-hander Robert Gasser.

What is the NLCS series score?

The Brewers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 after winning Game 1 (2-1) and Game 2 (7-4) at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

When was the last time the Brewers went to the World Series?

Milwaukee’s only previous World Series appearance came 44 years ago, in 1982. The Brewers need two more wins to end that drought.