Brewers Confirm Pitching Plans For NLCS Game 3 Hoping To Catch Dodgers Off Balance

The Brewers have announced who their starter for Game 3 is.

Jun 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of the Milwaukee Brewers logo on seating within American Family Field prior to the game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are in trouble as they prepare for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. They lost the first two games at home and are set to play Games 3 and 4 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers have the momentum, especially with an elite pitching staff, which features Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani as the starters for the next two games, respectively.

The Brewers are without Brandon Woodruff, which has complicated their pitching plans this postseason, and until recently, there wasn't a clear answer on who was going to start Game 3 and what their plan was.

Brewers Insider Confirms Pitching Plans For Game 3

Jul 16, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The hat and glove of Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) sits in the dugout during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com confirmed how the Brewers are going to go about Game 3 on the pitching side.

"Left-hander Aaron Ashby is the Brewers opener once again for NLCS Game 3. This will be Ashby's third start of this postseason and seventh appearance out of eight possible games," McCalvy posted on X.

Ashby, 27, went 5-2 with a 2.16 ERA during the regular season, making 42 relief appearances, one start and recording three saves. In the postseason, the left-hander has a 4.26 ERA in two starts and four relief appearances.

Ashby was given the start in Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday night at American Family Field. He also made the start in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs, allowing three earned runs over 1 2/3 innings pitched.

However, he pitched a scoreless inning in Game 1 against the Dodgers. McCalvy had reported earlier on Thursday that left-hander Jose Quintana was expected to be used, but that the Brewers weren't sure what role he would play in Game 3.

With Ashby confirmed to be the starter, fans can expect to see Quintana likely used as a bulk reliever in Game 3. Ashby will likely at least pitch one inning, but Quintana will ultimately take over relatively early in the game and pitch most of the innings once.

The Brewers beat the Cubs in five games in the NLDS, but must win Game 3 to avoid facing elimination in Game 4 on Friday. The task will not be easy, but it will certainly be interesting to see if Ashby can set a good tone early in the ballgame and allow the Brewers to catch the Dodgers off balance by forcing them to prepare for multiple pitchers in Game 3.

More MLB: Brewers Insider Reveals Important Update On Game 3 Pitching Plan: What It Means