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MILWAUKEE — The first-place Milwaukee Brewers finished a grueling stretch of 19 games in 18 days by dealing with one more potential loss to their injury-riddled bullpen.

Shelby Miller left because of an injury in the eighth inning of the Brewers’ 10-8 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.

“He felt something pop in his elbow,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game, adding that the right-hander would undergo testing.

Miller had just thrown a pitch to Max Kepler when he reacted in discomfort before leaning forward and putting his hands on his knees. After Brewers officials went to the mound to check on him, Miller headed into the dugout as Rob Zastryzny came out of the bullpen with a 2-2 count on Kepler.

Miller, who has a 2.74 ERA in 48 appearances this season, was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. The Brewers activated Miller, 34, from the injured list Aug. 8 after he missed about a month because of a right forearm strain.

The Brewers own the best record in the majors and lead the Chicago Cubs by 5½ games in the National League Central after going 9-10 in this brutal 18-day stretch. But the health of Milwaukee’s bullpen is a major concern.

All-Star closer Trevor Megill went on the injured list last week because of a right flexor strain. Left-hander DL Hall (right oblique) and right-hander Grant Anderson (right ankle) also are on the injured list.

All those injuries have put a strain on Milwaukee’s remaining relievers, and that appeared to be the case Monday when the Brewers squandered early leads of 4-0 and 5-1. That matched the biggest lead Milwaukee has blown in a loss this season.

After Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over 4⅓ innings, the Phillies scored three runs off Nick Mears in the sixth inning, two off Miller in the eighth and two off Abner Uribe in the ninth.

“You watch 162 games, your bullpen’s going to let you down sometimes,” Murphy said. “It’s just what happens. Is it because of the long stretch? I’m certain that doesn’t help.”

That bullpen will get a welcome break Tuesday when the Brewers have their first day off since Aug. 14. Then, they’re back at American Family Field on Wednesday to resume this series with the NL East-leading Phillies in a potential playoff preview.

“I’d be lying to you if I told you the past few days of this stretch has been easy,” Uribe said through an interpreter. “But at the same time, we have the off day tomorrow in which I think we’re going to be able to bounce back as a whole, and everybody will be ready to go.”

The frustrations of this long stretch boiled over in the ninth inning when the Phillies staged their winning rally with the help of a controversial call.

Uribe walked Kyle Schwarber to start the inning, then struck out Bryce Harper before reaching a 3-2 count on J.T. Realmuto. The next pitch was low and outside, and Realmuto started to offer at it before attempting to check his swing.

After Realmuto was awarded first base, Murphy argued that the batter had gone around and didn’t check his swing. Murphy was ejected from the game by first-base umpire Jim Wolf, then Brandon Marsh hit an RBI single to put Philadelphia ahead for good.

“Umpires have a hard job,” Murphy said. “They have a hard job. What I don’t like is when they’re definitive they got it right, and then I see what I see after the game, and you can see the barrel’s out in front of his front leg. Tell me how the barrel can be in front of his front leg at any moment, and it not be a swing.”

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2025 World Series: Live updates and analysis from Game 4

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2025 World Series: Live updates and analysis from Game 4

Let’s play another 18!

After an epic Game 3 that went a record-tying 18 innings, Game 4 of the 2025 World Series will be a true test for both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Can the Dodgers ride the high of Freddie Freeman‘s walk-off home run to a third straight victory, or will the Blue Jays’ bats bounce back to tie the Fall Classic at two games apiece? What will Shohei Ohtani — who will be on the mound for L.A. — do for an encore after a history-making night at the plate?

In other words: What can we expect?

From the pregame lineups to in-game analysis and our postgame takeaways, we’ve got you covered on another big (and long?) night at Dodger Stadium.

Key links: World Series schedule, results

Live analysis

Gamecast: Follow the action pitch-by-pitch here

Lineups

Dodgers lead series 2-1

Starting pitchers: Shane Bieber vs. Shohei Ohtani

Lineups

Blue Jays

1. Nathan Lukes (L) LF
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
3. Bo Bichette (R) DH
4. Addison Barger (L) RF
5. Alejandro Kirk (R) C
6. Daulton Varsho (L) CF
7. Ernie Clement (R) 3B
8. Andres Gimenez (L) SS
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) 2B

Dodgers

1. Shohei Ohtani (L) P
2. Mookie Betts (R) SS
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Will Smith (R) C
5. Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF
6. Max Muncy (L) 3B
7. Tommy Edman (S) 2B
8. Enrique Hernandez (R) LF
9. Andy Pages (R) CF

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14% drop in U.S. viewers for 1st 2 games of WS

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14% drop in U.S. viewers for 1st 2 games of WS

LOS ANGELES — U.S. viewers for the first two games of World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays dropped 14% from last year’s matchup between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees, but Canadian and Japanese audiences set records.

Last year’s first two games averaged 14.55 million and this year’s first two averaged 12..5 million on Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox One streaming, the Fox Sports app and Univision, Major League Baseball said Tuesday.

MLB said the combined 32.6 million viewers for the opener in the U.S., Canada and Japan were its highest since the Chicago Cubs‘ ended their 108-year title draught by beating Cleveland in Game 7 of the 2016 Series.

Toronto’s 11-4 win in Game 1 averaged 13,305,000 and Los Angeles’ 5-1 victory in Game 2, which did not include Univision coverage, averaged 11.63 million, Fox said.

Los Angeles’ 6-3, 10-inning win in last year’s opener that ended with Freddie Freeman‘s grand slam was seen by 15.2 million, the most-watched Series game since 2019. The Dodgers’ 4-2 victory in Game 2 last year was viewed by 13.44 million.

Game 1 this year drew 7 million viewers in Canada and Game 2 was watched by 6.6 million, the two most-watched Blue Jays games on Sportsnet. The network is owned by Rogers Communications Inc., the parent company of the Blue Jays.

The opener also was broadcast with French-language commentary on TVA Sports and drew 502,000, that network’s most-watched game.

This year’s opener averaged 11.8 million on NHK-G, the most-viewed World Series game in Japan televised by a single network, and Game 2 averaged 9.5 million on NHK-BS for a two-game Japanese average of 10.7 million.

The two-game average in the U.S., Canada and Japan was 30.5 million.

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Injured Springer out of Jays’ lineup for Game 4

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Injured Springer out of Jays' lineup for Game 4

LOS ANGELES — Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer was not in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s Game 4 of the World Series after leaving Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with right side discomfort.

Springer, 36, suffered the injury on a swing in the seventh inning of Game 3, exiting not long after calling for the athletic trainer.

Springer underwent an MRI, but the team wasn’t forthcoming about the results, with manager John Schneider indicating only that Springer was “hour-to-hour.”

“I think swinging will be the key to kind of determine if he’s in there or not,” Schneider said earlier Tuesday, not long before the lineup was announced. “But he was the first one here, a lot of treatment, a lot of work, and George is going to do everything he can to be ready.”

Springer has been a key offensive cog and leader during the Blue Jays’ postseason run. He has four home runs this month to go along with an .884 OPS, including a three-run homer in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners.

He injured his right knee on a hit by pitch in that series but was able to start the next day.

Bo Bichette replaced Springer as Toronto’s designated hitter in Game 4, with left fielder Nathan Lukes leading off. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. batted second followed by Bichette and then right fielder Addison Barger.

“Whenever this season is over, you guys will be surprised to see how much [Springer] has grinded physically,” Schneider said.

Springer’s status for the rest of the series is unclear, but he remains on the Toronto roster.

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