MILWAUKEE >> Fall is coming and the leaves on the “trust tree” are thinning out.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts refers to the hierarchy of his bullpen options as the “trust tree” — players move up and down based on their reliability and performance at any given time.

With the division lead at stake, Roberts has had to negotiate some midseason slumps among his most trusted relievers (Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson), injuries to others (Blake Treinen, Ryan Brasier) and serial inconsistency from others (thy name is Joe Kelly).

He trusted Alex Vesia and Hudson with a one-run lead in the seventh and eighth innings on Thursday afternoon. Vesia put it in immediate jeopardy but escaped with the slim margin intact. But the Milwaukee Brewers got to Hudson for three runs in that eighth inning and handed the Dodgers a 6-4 defeat.

By winning the last two games of the four-game series at American Family Field, the Brewers (69-52) remain right over the Dodgers’ shoulder, just 1 1/2 games back of them for one of the two best records in the National League (and a first-round bye in the postseason).

But the Dodgers (71-51) have other concerns. Thursday’s loss trimmed their lead in the NL West to a mere two games over the San Diego Padres (69-53) and Arizona Diamondbacks (69-53), who were both off Thursday.

“Yeah, it’s tough, especially this time of year,” Roberts said of the bullpen’s intermittent reliability. “They’ve all been used, and they’re all fatigued. Obviously, (Michael) Kopech has been very good for us, but you gotta throw somebody, and Huddy has been one of our most consistent, if not most consistent, relievers, and he’s had two days off.

“I’m just trying to do the best I can as far as managing the guys’ workloads. But you have the guys that you have, and you try to do the best you can with trying to not overuse them or tax them.”

The Dodgers have, in fact, used their relievers more than all but four teams this season. They have already pitched 49 2/3 innings in 13 games this month.

The strain has shown on virtually every reliever at one time or another. This appears to be Hudson’s turn. He has allowed seven runs over his past 7 1/3 innings, allowing runs in four of his past eight outings.

“It’s part of the job. You go through ups and downs throughout the season,” Hudson said of the Dodgers’ reliance on their relievers. “Obviously it’s a long season. Just try to stay even-keeled and go out there whenever they ask me to. Physically, I can’t speak for everybody but I feel great. Today just wasn’t my best and I wasn’t able to put guys away.”

Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty could have helped things by getting deeper than the five innings he pitched. But after the first four batters of the game, that seemed an achievement.

Flaherty gave up a leadoff double to Brice Turang. Two batters later, Jackson Chourio drove a two-run home run out to center field. Two batters later, William Contreras sent a 3-and-2 slider on a 417-foot journey into the upper deck in left field.

“Just didn’t make very good pitches. They put good swings on pitches that they should,” Flaherty said.

Flaherty course-corrected and retired 12 of the next 13 Brewers. Only a leadoff walk of Turang in the third inning marred that stretch and he was erased when Chourio lined into a double play.

The Dodgers needed just three innings to match that quick start by the Brewers.

In the second inning, Gavin Lux beat out an infield single when shortstop Willy Adames bobbled his grounder momentarily. The next batter, Miguel Rojas, hit a potential double-play grounder to Adames, but he threw wide of second base and the Dodgers wound up with runners on second and third.

Jason Heyward drove in one run with a groundout to the right side and Andy Pages made it a two-run inning with a drive to the warning track in left field that went off Chourio’s glove for a double.

An inning later, consecutive singles by Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Lux tied the score at 3-3.

The Dodgers took the lead for the first time in the sixth inning. Lux drew a leadoff walk, moved up on Rojas’ single and scored when Kiké Hernandez pushed a two-out ground ball through the right side for an RBI single.

Roberts chose to fire his best bullet when he sent Kopech out to face the middle of the Brewers’ order in the sixth inning. Kopech retired the side in order and continues to improve his status on the “trust tree.” He has faced 24 batters since the Dodgers acquired him at the deadline — 11 strikeouts and one hit.

The one-run lead survived the seventh inning despite Vesia walking the first two batters. Hudson couldn’t escape his trouble in the eighth.

He gave up a leadoff double to Chourio, walked Garrett Mitchell then kicked a potential double-play grounder headed up the middle. Hudson’s foot deflected it toward shortstop, where Rojas couldn’t field it cleanly.

“It was right at Gavin (Lux). It’s a double-play ball,” Roberts lamented.

That loaded the bases with no outs. Adames drove in the tying run with a single to left. Two more runs scored on groundouts, one of them deflected off Hudson again.

“Obviously it’s frustrating. I just need to execute better,” Hudson said. “We’re trying to get out of here with a series win and I just wasn’t good enough in the eighth inning.”

Hudson said he was trying to get out of the way of both ground balls, knowing he had infielders in position to handle them. The first went between his legs and off his glove. The second hit the bottom of his foot.

“We actually did PFPs and practice getting out of the way of those balls and I just wasn’t able to do it,” Hudson said. “It’s frustrating, but at the end of the day you still have to execute. I just wasn’t able to do that.”