DBD DAILY: Don't Let Us Win Tonight

The Dodgers 2026 baseball season ended last night. With a 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers were swept in the NLCS, and eliminated.  The season, the three-peat bid, some even say the dynasty... and this podcast, at least as we know it... are all over. Richard looks back on the season and the NLCS. Then, he looks to the future -- for the Dodgers, baseball, and this show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dodgers down 0-3 to the Brewers in the 2026 NLCS. Game 4 is tonight at Dodger Stadium. Don't let us win tonight! Then they get Skubie. And then they get Yama. And Game 7? Anything happens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dodgers lost to the Brewers 6-2 in Game 3 of the NLCS tonight at Dodger Stadium. The Brewers are one win away from sweeping the Dodgers, and going to their first World Series since 1982. Only one team in the history of baseball has come back to win after facing a 0-3 deficit in a best of seven series. The Dodgers will attempt to avoid the sweep tomorrow, Thursday, at 5 p.m., very specifically, Pacific Time, at Dodger Stadium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Game 3 of the NLCS is today in L.A. 5 p.m., very specifically, Pacific Time. Blake Snell on the bump. The Dodgers trail the Brewers 2-0 in this 7-game series. And that is concerning.  How concerning? Well, in the history of baseball, a team has gotten out to a 2-0 in a best-of-7 series 95 times. Of those 95 times, 79 times the leading team went on to win the series. I.e., 83.2 percent of the time. So being down 0-2 is close to a death sentence. Richard Parks III (a.k.a. RP3) looks at the history of Dodgers (and other baseball teams) who have been able to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a 7-game series. Because that's exactly what the Dodgers are going to have to do here in Game3, in order to advance past the NLCS to the World Series, and win a third-straight championship, a.k.a. 3peat. Then, RP3 picks out 3 things to watch in this all-important NLCS Game 3. Thing #1: The Shohei Factor. RP3 summarizes and updates the unfolding conversation about a significant slump the Dodgers two-way star has been mired in, which lead to a talk with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Since our last episode. Thing #2: Believe! RP3 muses on previous low-points from throughout Dodgers post-season history, and rallies for the type of "belief" espoused by legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who once said, "All you gotta do is believe." Thing #3: Snellzilla. He's the "little girl with the curl" as Vin Scully used to say. Snell had a sparkling October in 2025. But in his sole start in the 2026 post-season, Game 2 of the NLDS, Snell couldn't get through 4 innings, and he walked 5. His reputation as a Dodger and as a post-season performer is on the line today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We awoke this morning to find the entire baseball world speculating on whether a struggling, injured Shohei Ohtani should be benched for Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers. Richard contextualizes that conversation, and weighs in. (Kinda.) Then, Richard re-caps the Dodgers' 7-4 loss in Game 2. (Expanding on the live-taped reactions to Game 2 from our previous, impressionistic DBD Daily, released last night.) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sit with Richard for the last two innings of the Dodgers 7-4 loss at the hands of the Brewers tonight in Game 2 of the NLCS. An audio diary of sorts, with live-recorded analysis, with evocative underscore by William Ryan Fritch. The Dodgers are in the hole 0-2 as the best-of-seven series heads to L.A. for Game 3 on Wednesday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a tough loss for the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS tonight (Sunday) in Milwaukee. Tarik Skubal and the Boys in Blue fell to Jacob Misiorowski and the Brewers, 2-1. But it wasn't quite the pitchers' duel you'd expect. Richard re-caps everything you need to know in 15ish minutes. Get ready for a series! Best of 7. Game 2 is tomorrow! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Eve of Game 1 of the NLCS in Milwaukee, we bring you this episode from our archives, about the Pfister Hotel, where the Dodgers stay when they're in town to play the Brewers -- well, most of the Dodgers. Mookie Betts, for one, decides to stay elsewhere. Because they say that the Pfister Hotel is... haunted!  This episode was first aired in 2024, when Mookie was just rejoining the team after a couple months on the injured list. As a reminder, 2024 was also the season Mookie was making the transition from right field, to short stop. Getting ready for tomorrow's Game 1 (in 2026) Max Muncy was asked about the hotel and its ghosts. His response kept it loose. Which seems like a good sign, as the Boys in Blue kick off this all-important series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year's 2026 NLCS is a re-match of last year's: Brewers vs. Dodgers. Last year, the Dodgers swept. But this year, it's a different story. And it's being talked about as the "Ali-Frazier" matchup of October baseball this year. First, Richard looks back on how the Dodgers were able to sweep the Brewers last year. Then, Richard looks at the differences between the 2026 version of these teams and last year's, including discussion of: the pitching situation(s), the Shohei Ohtani factor, the Jacob Misiorowski factor, the bullpens, Tarik Skubal, how each team won their division series, key Dodger injuries, scoring via the homerun vs. via other methods, hitting with runners on, Jackson Chourio, the X factor of playing confidence, playing with a chip on your shoulder, Brewers manager Pat Murphy's "average Joe" narrative, William Contreras' lengthy homerun trots, and more! This should be everything you need to know to appreciate this highly anticipated series, which kicks off Sunday, in Milwaukee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With their 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, the Dodgers have won the National League Division Series! They're onto the National League Championship Series next, starting Sunday. Richard re-caps the Game 4 win in Atlanta Wednesday night, and celebrates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.