LOS ANGELES _ Walker Buehler placed his hands on his hips and gazed into the right-field corner of Dodger Stadium. He stared as if he could not believe what had just happened, how a baseball had been lifted into the wind and carried over the fence, how a light-hitting shortstop had pushed the Dodgers two defeats away from winter in a 4-0 defeat to Milwaukee in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia supplied three homers in the entirety of the regular season. He has hit two in the first three games of this series, the second a two-run blast off Buehler, which stunned the Dodgers in Monday's seventh inning. Arcia soured an otherwise admirable effort from Buehler, who struck out eight before foundering in his final inning and left with four runs on his ledger.
The game featured a sampling of this summer's lowlights. The team permitted a run when Yasmani Grandal could not smother a wild pitch. Grandal permitted a passed ball in the eighth, when the game already felt out of reach. The lineup flailed with abandon, unable to make either solid contact or productive outs, striking out 14 times as Milwaukee secured a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Dodgers pawed at Milwaukee starter Jhoulys Chacin but could not do damage. He lasted 5 1/3 innings, scattering three hits and striking out six. As a group, the lineup went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Brewers relief corps mowed them down after Chacin exited. Josh Hader, Milwaukee's relief ace, recorded two outs in the eighth.
The ninth inning exemplified the team's ineptitude in the clutch. The team managed to put two runners aboard against Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress. Then Cody Bellinger popped up on the first pitch. After Yasiel Puig walked to load the bases, Grandal and Brian Dozier struck out.
The Dodgers did not see Hader in Game 2. Manager Dave Roberts made a subtle tweak in his lineup to protect against Hader. Roberts shifted Max Muncy to the No. 2 spot, displacing Justin Turner to the third spot, so Muncy and Joc Pederson offered two left-handed hitters at the top of the order. If Brewers manager Craig Counsell sent Hader to face the duo, Roberts could counter with right-handed hitters like Chris Taylor, David Freese or Matt Kemp.
The counter-punches did not land. Freese struck out in the eighth. Kemp did the same in the next at-bat.
Milwaukee scored first for the second game in a row. Buehler walked outfielder Christian Yelich in the first inning, with Yelich holding firm as Buehler sprayed 98-mph fastballs above the zone. Yelich scored when fellow outfielder Ryan Braun whacked a belt-high slider from Buehler into the left-field corner for a double.
Buehler responded by striking out the next two batters he faced. He struck out the first two hitters in the second inning. He was working with Yasmani Grandal, who was benched in Game 2 after a wretched Game 1: two passed balls, an error and a catcher's interference. During the regular season, Buehler produced a 1.94 earned-run average when pitching to Grandal.
Grandal possesses a sizable amount of power and a keen eye. But he is an erratic hitter, prone to streaks and slumps. He entered Monday at a low ebb, with only two hits this postseason. His bat remained frigid in the second, when he struck out with two men in scoring position to defuse a rally. Chacin intentionally walked Enrique Hernandez to load the bases, then struck out Buehler to end the inning.
Manny Machado had led off the second with a single. He was forced out at second base on a grounder from Bellinger. As Machado approached second base, he reached his right hand toward Arcia. Counsell objected, but received no aid from the officials. His case would be heard in the fourth.
This time, Machado led off with a walk. Bellinger hit a grounder to the right side, where first baseman Jesus Aguilar scooped the baseball and fed Arcia. Machado aimed his body away from the bag, and again raised his arm to brush Arcia. Bellinger was safe at first _ until Counsell requested a review. The umpires ruled it a double play, for Machado's interference.
Grandal delivered in unorthodox fashion to start the fifth. He blooped a double down the left-field line, with the ball bouncing out of play out of Yelich's reach. After Hernandez flew out, Roberts was presented with a dilemma: Should he hit for Buehler?
Buehler had roared back after the first-inning scuffle. Roberts understood the series called for three consecutive games, and he opted not to expose his bullpen early. The decision did not lead to much offense. Buehler struck out, Pederson flied out and the rally fizzled.
Milwaukee squeezed a second run out of Buehler and his defense in the sixth. With two outs, second baseman Travis Shaw smashed a 97-mph fastball into center field. Bellinger sprinted toward the warning track, stutter-stepping as he tried to read the ball's flight. He mistimed his leap and smashed into the wall. The ball bounced away from him as Shaw received credit for a triple.
Shaw scored without another hit. Buehler spiked a curveball in the dirt. The pitch bounced off Grandal's left forearm as he tried to slide his hips to block it. The wild pitch doubled Milwaukee's lead.
The bottom of the inning led to more exasperation with the offense. Turner made it to second base when Brewers third baseman Mike Moustakas booted a grounder and threw the baseball into the camera well. The one-out error expedited Chacin's exit. Counsell inserted Corey Knebel to tamp the flames. Machado smashed a grounder right at Moustakas for one out. Bellinger waved at a 97-mph fastball in vain.
Roberts tried to sneak Buehler through the bottom of Milwaukee's batting order in the seventh. The plan was foiled when catcher Erik Kratz doubled down the left-field line. Two pitches later, Arcia reached across the plate to connect with a 97-mph fastball. The ball soared into the right-field corner. Puig bashed his ribs against the wall, but could not retrieve the baseball.
