The Los Angeles Dodgers are returning exactly what the Milwaukee Brewers have done with them in the regular season. After finishing their regular season with 93 wins and the NL West Title, they swept the Reds in the Wild Card series and then convincingly beat the Phillies in the NLDS. And now hold a commanding 3-0 lead over the Brewers in the NLCS and are standing just one win away from the World Series. But they aren’t flawless..

In his post-game press conference, manager Dave Roberts faced tough questions. He was first asked about Shohei Ohtani’s shocking postseason slump. After hitting .282 with 55 home runs and a 1.014 OPS, Ohtani is batting just.147 across the postseason. The slump was especially severe in the NLDS against Philadelphia, where he went 1-for-18 (.056). Since the start of that series, he is a combined 3-for-29 (.103), a stark contrast to the offensive force he was all year.

Roberts acknowledged that opponents are game-planning specifically for Ohtani.”You throw some lefties on him, and that’s what they’re doing… as far as kind of their approach, makes sense,” Roberts admitted. And when a reporter reminded him that he previously said the team couldn’t win if Ohtani wasn’t hitting. Roberts didn’t back down from his support. “I just know how big of a part he is to this thing,” the manager said. “We got a long way to go, but… I’ll bet on him all day long.”

The second major issue is the team’s failure in the clutch that is holding them back.. The Dodgers have been leaving a trail of runners on the bases. When asked if this was a concern, Roberts said, “I wouldn’t say concerned, but we got to be better. Um, I think that you’re always trying to figure out how he can improve as a ball club. And I do think that Tommy’s at bat today was huge. Runners in scoring position. I thought Freddy’s at bat to get him up was a huge at bat. Um, but yeah, I do think that the situation can be better at that for sure. We got to be better.”

But they aren’t the only problem that can cost them in the long run

The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a question mark all year. Their key reliever, Tanner Scott, and Blake Treinen struggled in the season. The team is now relying on the recently activated Roki Sasaki in high-leverage spots, but his lack of experience can cost them late in the season. In that case, they have only one option remaining in Alex Vesia, who helped them to win the last World Series.

Plus, important players like Blake Snell, Max Muncy missed significant time this season. Tommy Edman has also been dealing with a nagging ankle injury. If any one of the players is down late in October, it can be fatal for them.

And what about the Brewers? Do they have any chance of a comeback? History says it’s nearly impossible. In the long history of best-of-seven MLB playoff series, only one team has ever erased a 3-0 deficit. That was the legendary 2004 Boston Red Sox. And what a wild irony of fate, the player who sparked that historic comeback was none other than a young Dave Roberts.

But the Dodgers will look to close out the series at home in Game 4. They will send Shohei Ohtani to start the game, who was remarkable in his postseason debut, pitching 6 innings while striking out 9 batters, and took the win in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies.

The Brewers have not yet named a starter, but they can start with veteran left-hander Jose Quintana, as he didn’t pitch in Game 3 and had an 11-7 record with a 3.96 ERA in the regular season. They can also use right-hander Chad Patrick, who also didn’t pitch in Game 3 and has done his best work lately in relief, but neither is fully built up to pitch deep into the game.