Backs are up against the wall as momentum from big Game 3 victory goes out the door.
(Editor's note: Roundtable Sports National Editor Tom Brew offered his thoughts about the events in Game 4 on Tuesday night in a Wednesday morning update.)
After pulling off a massive Game 3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers were set up to take a commanding lead in the 2025 World Series on Tuesday night.
Shohei Ohtani, coming off a historic performance in Game 3 himself, was on the mound and the Dodgers were licking their collective chops to take shots at Toronto starter Shane Bieber.
It was all set up in the right direction...until Game 4 was played.
Now? The Dodgers are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven series after Bieber, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the Blue Jays scored a 6-2 win at Dodger Stadium.
This was not the way it was supposed to play out. Los Angeles got a split of the first two games at Rogers Centre, then came back to the West Coast knowing that all it needed to do was win three straight games at home in front of their fans.
On Wednesday morning, it appears that the Game 5 probable starting pitchers will be a rematch from Game 1 with Toronto going with Trey Yesavage while Los Angeles counters with Blake Snell. Of course, Dodgers fans know that the Blue Jays raked Dodgers pitching en route to an 11-4 rout.
Snell has had time to pull up a tablet and watch his pitching performance over and over again. Should Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put Snell in there, it's his hope that Snell can give him some length against the Blue Jays.
Toronto, entering Game 5, sits in a pretty good position. The Blue Jays can try and snatch another road win at Dodger Stadium, then take a day off and fly home to Canada. If the Dodgers are not able to secure a victory, then it'll be a long day off for them.
On Tuesday night, Ohtani pitched into the seventh inning but was not able to fully take Toronto out of the game. As it ended up, Ohtani allowed four earned runs in his effort on the mound. He didn't have a good night at the plate, either.
After Roberts pulled Ohtani, he turned to Anthony Banda and Blake Treinen in an effort to keep the game close. Well, as has been the case a lot of the time during the 2025 MLB regular season, the Dodgers bullpen wasn't able to seal the deal.
Mind you, this was just hours after the LA relief corps, which included Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, kept some red-hot Blue Jays hitters in check during the late innings. Will Klein, who earned superhero status with his outing on Monday night, was not available on Tuesday.
Now that he's had a day off between outings, it's highly possible that Roberts turns to him if needed on Wednesday night.
The Dodgers' offense on Tuesday night produced an RBI sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout. That was it. Those results don't sound too good when a lineup has the likes of Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts (who's not having a good postseason), and Teoscar Hernández.
What must Los Angeles do on Wednesday night? Get Vesavage out of the game early. The Dodgers need to work counts at the plate in their favor. The more wiggle room that Snell and the Dodgers give to the Blue Jays, the worse that it might end up.
It's tough to call a Game 5 as a do-or-die situation because even with a loss, there's going to be a Game 6 on Friday night. Still, the Dodgers don't want to be the team that's down 3-2 with a road game in a loud Rogers Centre waiting for them.
Better get the victory at Dodger Stadium or face the wrath of some hungry Blue Jays fans who want to see their team knock off the defending World Series champions.