Dodgers 8, Brewers 5: Rhys Hoskins' grand slam paved the path for a feel-good win. Instead, disaster followed.

LOS ANGELES – Rhys Hoskins' swing of the bat in the fourth inning had all the makings of a memorable one, both for himself and for a Milwaukee Brewers club looking to make a statement on the west coast.

Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers were given an inch — after already having hit a handful of balls a mile.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit three home runs, first baseman Freddie Freeman delivered the game-winning hit with an eighth inning single two pitches after it appeared the Brewers had struck him out to end the frame for an 8-5 loss for the Brewers at Dodger Stadium Friday night.

It was a familiar outcome for the visitors at the stadium where they have now lost 12 of 16 since taking Game 3 of the 2018 National League Championship Series.

Freeman's swing ultimately decided the game but it was Smith who put Milwaukee pitching, including starter Aaron Civale while was making his Brewers debut, in a blender for the entirety of the night.

He singlehandedly put the Dodgers out to a 2-0 lead through three innings by crushing nearly identical sweepers from Civale, then tied the game in the seventh with a solo shot off reliever Bryan Hudson that clanked high off the foul pole in left.

"That kid he’s been quietly the engine that runs the ship over there and has been pretty successful," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He has maybe the most important job on the team. For him to do that, do both jobs the way he does, we know what that’s like because we know what William (Contreras) does for our team."

An inning after Smith's third dinger, Los Angeles loaded the bases against reliever Elvis Peguero, leading to a bullpen move by Murphy and a left-on-left matchup between Freeman and Hoby Milner.

The Brewers thought they won the battle to end the eighth inning on a 1-2 fastball that appeared to catch the outside corner according to pitch tracking data.

Instead, it was for naught. Home plate umpire Brian Walsh, whose zone on the evening was otherwise fairly generous to the men on the mound, balked at it. Two pitches later, Freeman poked a slider off the plate for a grounder up the middle to score two, giving the Dodgers a 7-5 lead and bringing crowd of 49,885 to an eruption that shook the venue.

"It’s part of it," Milner said. "They miss them sometimes. Sometimes they get them right. It's kind of the way things have been going for me so far. It’s just unfortunate. It’s obviously a big moment and it changed the game. We’d still be playing if he called it a strike."

BOX SCORE: Dodgers 8, Brewers 5

The dilemma of pitching to the Dodgers lineup was on full display

The Brewers found themselves in quite the predicament Friday: Pitch to Smith or not?

Attack him and he may very well crush you as he did thrice Friday.

After homering twice on hanging sliders from Civale, Smith took a sweeper at the knees and on the inside corner from Hudson and kept it fair for home run number 14 on the year. To most hitters, it would have been a good first pitch to get ahead in the count, dotting the corner of the strike zone.

Not to Smith. Hudson, the former Dodger who was traded to Milwaukee in the off-season after being designated for assignment, acknowledged he missed by the width of the plate when trying to steal an early strike.

"Supposed to be backdoor," Hudson said. "Can’t miss into his hot zone whenever he’s hot."

That's what happens when you get aggressive with Smith. Work around him, though, and there waiting is Freeman, the seven-time all-star and former MVP, bat quietly perched on his left shoulder, glaring calmly but menacingly and waiting for a pitch to attack.

The Brewers effectively pitched around Smith with first base open and two outs in the eighth, even if Murphy said they weren't deliberately trying to walk him. Elvis Peguero, who battled his command to right-handed hitters again, issued a five-pitch free pass to set up Milner against Freeman.

Then, Freeman got his inch from Walsh.

The Brewers got a loss.

"They felt like it was a strike, but that happens all the time," Murphy said.

Rhys Hoskins shows why he's one of the Brewers 'pillars'

Frustration has been mounting for Hoskins, both visibly and underneath the surface.

The Brewers first baseman has been mired in a monthlong slump, posting a .487 with just three extra base hits and a 33.6% strikeout rate over the last 30 days entering Friday. He had just gone 0 for 12 in the recent series at hitter-friendly Coors Field, striking out and grounding into double plays in key moments during the four days at elevation.

Murphy could have given Hoskins a day off against the Dodgers for a mental reset, especially considering Los Angeles ace Tyler Glasnow was scheduled to pitch. Instead, he stuck with Hoskins, who he refers to with repetition as one of the team's pillars.

"The Brewers are going to be their best when we have him in there," Murphy explained pregame. "When you go through times when you’re not as good as you’re capable of or you’ve been in the past, you’re coming off an injury and all of that stuff, you need people to rally around you and tell you, ‘Hey we believe in you. We’ll pick you up.’ Hopefully the other guys – and I know they do – pick up on this: We need this guy. He’s a frontline player and we need him to be one of our pillars."

Hoskins has had to be patient in working through his slump, so sitting back on a hanging curve from Glasnow was no issue in the fourth inning as the first baseman hit a grand slam put the Brewers ahead, 5-2.

The swing followed the exact philosophy Hoskins preached at his locker prior to the game.

"The reality is that, because I’m a competitor and I know what I’m capable of and know what I’ve done in this league...that’s what can be frustrating," Hoskins said. "Luckily, we play most every day and I’ve always told guys, 'The next moment is on the way already.' And that’s the beautiful part. You have to be ready.

"Frustrating, for sure. I’m sure I’ve shown that frustration at times. But the beautiful part of this game is you always have to be ready for the next one."

Hoskins continued the Brewers' binge on grand slams, raising their total to six in their last 13 games. It was Hoskins' second of that stretch -- both of his homers since June 3 have come with the bases juiced.

Perhaps it can solidify one of the pillars, too.

"Every stretch is different," Hoskins said. "As cliché as it sounds, you really just try to dive into the process. I am a person that likes to lose myself in my work. The more persistent you are – if you’re consistent with your persistency – results usually tend to follow."

From a strikeout of Ohtani to...

Civale's Milwaukee debut got off to a smashing start with a strikeout of Shohei Ohtani on a filthy sweeper. Two innings later, Civale struck out the birthday boy Ohtani again, this time painting a sinker on the outside corner.

Civale had no time to celebrate.

Both times Smith followed by crushing a solo homer. The blasts came on nearly identical pitches, sweepers up in the zone and on the outer third. In the first inning, Civale was unable to put Smith away after getting ahead, ultimately leaving a 2-2 breaker over the plate that the Dodgers catcher smoked to right-center to open the scoring.

Smith jumped on the same mistake in his next at-bat, this time pulling it to left-center for his 13th home run of the season.

"Didn’t shift that plate back into him," Civale said. "Got a pitch that maybe if you’re looking at the zone looks good but he’s a good hitter and it’s a pitch he can handle. The next one, just the firs twitch of the at-bat the whole way and he turned on it."

Civale's sweeper was a true Jekyll-and-Hyde pitch in the debut. He generated an impressive five whiffs on eight swings against it through three innings, but two of the other three swings were tanks from Smith.

Staked to a 5-2 lead after Hoskins' grand slam capped a five-run fourth, Civale immediately gave some of the cushion back. The righty was bitten by the long ball again, this time a two-run shot off the bat of Miguel Vargas with one out in the bottom of the fourth.

Civale, though, went onto strike out Ohtani for a third time to end the inning, getting the Dodgers superstar to swing through an elevated fastball. It was the sixth straight at-bat ending in a strikeout for Ohtani dating back to Thursday.

Civale ultimately finished his night with eight strikeouts over five innings, displaying some effectiveness with his breaking pitches despite the three homers and four runs allowed.

But the reality of facing this Dodgers lineup is this: Ohtani can go 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and it doesn't matter. Their bats, as Civale and company learned the hard way once again, are unrelenting.

"It’s a deep lineup," Civale said. "They’re not in first by mistake. They put together a good team, both pitching defense and hitting. Just got to compete each batter, compete each pitch and learn from your mistakes."

Perhaps the lesson will set in Saturday when the two first-place clubs go at it again.

Or maybe Ohtani, Smith and Freeman will have a say in the matter.

Brewers schedule

Brewers at Dodgers, 6:15 p.m. Saturday. Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralta (6-4, 3.83) vs. Los Angeles LHP James Paxton (7-2, 4.38). Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.

Brewers at Dodgers, 3:10 p.m. Sunday Milwaukee LHP Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 6.75) vs. Los Angeles TBA. Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rhys Hoskins' grand slam isn't enough as Dodgers rally past Brewers