MLB Tonight: Blake Snell Shines, Dodgers Edge Brewers as Freddie Freeman Delivers—and Game 2 Looms

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the NLCS with the kind of razor-wire October win that travels: elite starting pitching, a star’s swing at the right moment, and just enough bullpen nerve to escape a ninth-inning storm. Blake Snell authored eight scoreless frames with 10 strikeouts, Freddie Freeman broke a deadlock with a solo blast, and the Dodgers survived a bases-loaded scare to beat Milwaukee, 2–1. For fans searching “Dodgers score,” “Dodgers play by play,” or “MLB tonight,” the takeaways are clear: Los Angeles grabbed home-field leverage on the road and put the series on its terms—power arms, veteran bats, and late-inning brinkmanship.

Snell Dodgers: An Ace’s Statement in October

Blake Snell’s Game 1 was as clean as postseason pitching gets. He allowed just one hit, walked none, and needed 103 pitches to bulldoze through eight innings, retiring his final 17 batters. The left-hander’s sequencing was clinical—elevated four-seamers to change eye levels, a vanishing changeup to righties, and the slider as the wipeout to both sides. If you’re pulling up “Blake Snell stats,” this outing now sits alongside his best postseason work and validates why the Dodgers built their October rotation around him.

Key Snell numbers (Game 1):

• 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 10 K

• Retired 17 straight to finish

• 0–0 through five before the offense cashed in his dominance

Freddie/Freddy/Freddy: Freeman’s Hammer, Peralta’s Counter

Freeman—yes, “Freddy/Freddie Freeman” trending both spellings—reset the series’ geometry with a solo homer in the sixth. It wasn’t about launch theatrics so much as situational mastery: deep count, compact swing, and a laser that finally cracked a bullpen game plan. For Los Angeles, the calculus is simple—when Freeman and Mookie Betts force traffic, the Dodgers’ run expectancy jumps even in low-scoring environments.

Treinen Dodgers: The Stopper at the End

Manager Dave Roberts pushed the late-inning buttons aggressively. Rookie sensation Rōki Sasaki handled the ninth and yielded a run before veteran Blake Treinen took the baton with the tying and winning runs aboard. One four-seam ride and a final strikeout later, Treinen had the save and the clubhouse had its first exhale of October anxiety. If you were refreshing “Treinen Dodgers” in the ninth, you watched the archetype of postseason leverage: a reliever’s entire season distilled into six pitches that either knot the series or bank a lead.

Dodgers Pitchers: Power, Depth, and Defined Roles

Los Angeles leaned on the shape of its staff, not just the names. Snell set the tone, middle relief remained flexible, Sasaki’s upper-90s/100 mph heat is now a dedicated late-inning weapon, and Treinen anchors the last out. The tactical wrinkle: Sasaki as a high-leverage bridge rather than a set ninth-inning closer, allowing Roberts to play matchups and keep hitters off timing. That modular approach has turned “Dodgers pitchers” into a nightly chessboard more than a fixed script.

Dodgers Schedule: What’s Next (Series Tied to the Clock, Not the Hype)

The NLCS cadence favors momentum teams that finish games; Game 1 did exactly that for L.A. Here’s the compact look fans are hunting when they search “Dodgers game today” or “Dodgers schedule”:

• Game 2 (Tonight): Dodgers at Brewers — marquee matchup feel, with Los Angeles handing the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta.

• Game 3 (Thursday in L.A.): Tyler Glasnow expected to take the mound.

• Game 4 (Friday in L.A.): Shohei Ohtani slated to start as the series compresses and travel shifts the bullpen calculus.

Note: Exact first-pitch times and TV carriers vary by market, but the rhythm is daily through at least Game 4, with an off-day only if weather or scheduling dictates.

Dodgers Play by Play: The Inning That Swung It

If you scan the “play by play,” three snapshots define Game 1:

1. Sixth, Top: Freeman’s solo homer ends the stalemate—Dodgers up 1–0.

2. Ninth, Top: Betts draws a bases-loaded walk for a crucial insurance run—2–0.

3. Ninth, Bottom: Brewers scratch one across versus Sasaki and load the bases; Treinen slams the door with a strikeout to strand all three.

That’s October baseball condensed: a star’s swing, an at-bat of elite strike-zone control, and a closer’s final punch.

Dave Roberts’ Template: Pressure Early, Precision Late

Roberts managed with urgency—Snell’s leash was tight only in pitch-count theory, not results; the bullpen phone rang quickly in the ninth; and defensive alignments anticipated Milwaukee’s contact profile. Expect the same blueprint in Game 2: win the first five with the starter, steal the middle on matchup edges, and trust the back-end power to brave the heart-rate spikes.

Dodgers, Snell, and the NLCS Narrative

For all the “Dodgers. Dodgers score. Snell Dodgers.” queries, the underlying story is balance. The offense didn’t explode, yet the swing quality was there when it mattered. The rotation is fronted by trophy arms—Snell’s dominance sets the standard—while the bullpen mixes rookie electricity with veteran cool. Milwaukee’s counterpunch is real, especially with Peralta’s strikeout gear and a battle-tested relief corps, but Game 1 handed Los Angeles the series’ first leverage point.

What to watch tonight (MLB Tonight checklist):

• Snell’s carryover effect: Opposing hitters are already sped-up; can Yamamoto exploit that with first-pitch strikes?

• Freeman’s zone control: If the Brewers nibble, he’ll walk; if they challenge, he can flip a game with one swing.

• Treinen/Sasaki sequencing: Who takes the highest-leverage outs if traffic appears earlier than the ninth?

The Dodgers wanted a road split; instead, they grabbed the opener and a psychological edge. If their stars keep stacking timely at-bats and the late-inning plan holds, the path home to Chavez Ravine could arrive with more than a series lead—it could bring the kind of momentum that decides pennants.