The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in a precarious situation as they head to Los Angeles for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) on October 14, 2025. After losing the first two games at home, the Brewers face a daunting statistic: teams that go down 0-2 at home in a best-of-seven series have historically won only three times out of 27 attempts. Their struggles have been compounded by a lackluster offensive performance, managing just one run on four hits across 17 innings against dominant pitching from Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Despite the uphill battle, there are glimmers of hope for the Brewers as they prepare to face yet another formidable pitcher in Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow. The team’s left-handed hitters, particularly Christian Yelich, Brice Turang, and Sal Frelick, have struggled mightily this postseason. Collectively, they have posted a mere .531, .530, and .458 OPS, respectively. This lack of offensive production contrasts sharply with their regular-season contributions, where they played pivotal roles in the Brewers’ success.
Potential for Left-Handed Hitters to Break Free
The match-up against Glasnow may offer a slight advantage for the Brewers’ left-handed batters. While Glasnow has been a strong performer throughout the season, yielding a .586 OPS against lefties, this is an improvement compared to the challenges presented by Snell and Yamamoto. In fact, teams have been cautious with Snell, often avoiding letting left-handed hitters face him altogether. Yamamoto, despite being a right-handed pitcher, demonstrated significant reverse splits this season, allowing lefties to achieve an OPS of only .486 against him.
Historically, Glasnow has shown vulnerability to left-handed hitters. In 2023 and 2024, lefties had a notable edge over righties when facing him, achieving an OPS of .720 and .621, respectively. Such splits indicate that if Yelich, Turang, and Frelick can shake off their postseason slumps, they might find more success at the plate against Glasnow than they did against previous pitchers.
The Brewers’ right-handed hitters have fared better so far this postseason. Players like Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn have shown good form and do not require the same urgent revival as their left-handed counterparts. This could allow for a balanced offensive approach that might exploit Glasnow’s weaknesses.
Glasnow’s Command Issues and Brewers’ Strategy
While Glasnow has excelled with a 3.19 ERA over 90.1 innings this season—striking out 106 batters and allowing only 56 hits—his command has been a concern. He issued 43 walks during the regular season and has continued to struggle with walks in the postseason, giving up five free passes in just 7.2 innings. This inconsistency could serve as an avenue for the Brewers to generate scoring opportunities.
The Brewers’ strategy now hinges on discipline at the plate. For the team to revive their offense, they must focus on drawing walks, taking advantage of Glasnow’s command issues, and ensuring their key left-handed hitters find their rhythm. With the pressure mounting, the Brewers are hoping for a return to form as they seek to stay alive in the series.
The stakes could not be higher for Milwaukee as they face the Dodgers in a crucial Game 3. If they can overcome the challenges posed by Glasnow and awaken their dormant bats, they may just have a chance to turn the series around.
