Christian Yelich isn’t spending much time on the outside noise, and maybe that’s the point. The Brewers’ veteran said Saturday at American Family Field that Milwaukee may not be the favorite in the National League Championship Series, but he also made clear that label doesn’t change anything.
“Look, if you want to play who's favored in this series, it's probably not us,” he said. “But it doesn't matter.”
That line fits the way Milwaukee has handled this run. The Brewers went into the rematch with the Dodgers after being swept in a four-game NLCS last year, then responded by leading all teams with 103 regular-season wins in 2026 and taking down the San Diego Padres in a four-game NLDS.
The postseason has only sharpened the case that the Brewers belong in this spot. Jacob Misiorowski hasn’t had to be perfect for Milwaukee to keep winning.
He lasted just four innings in Game 1 of the NLDS and 4.1 innings in Game 1 of the NLCS, and the Brewers won both. They also survived three errors in Game 2 of the NLDS and still came out on top.
That has reinforced the kind of confidence a team carries when it isn’t trying to play flawless baseball every night.
“If people were saying that we're a great team, you still have to go win the games and play the games,” Yelich said. “And the same goes for [the Dodgers], like they have to play the games and win the games.
“That’s kind of how we look at it as a team. It doesn't matter what the commentary is surrounding the series or the teams, or who's the favorite [and] who's the underdog. It's going to be decided on the field if we're going to prove who's worthy of going to the World Series in the next week or so.”
That mindset matches how Game 1 played out. Milwaukee’s 2-1 win came down to small edges and one big swing.
Trevor Megill walked the first two batters of the ninth inning before getting the final out with the tying run in scoring position. Brice Turang, who has a .619 OPS in the postseason, supplied the decisive blow with a solo home run.
The rest of the game was just as tight: only one of the Brewers’ 12 other hits went for extra bases, and the Dodgers grounded into three double plays.
That’s not the kind of box score that shouts for a grand explanation. It does, though, underline Yelich’s point.
These teams look close enough that the “favorite” label feels almost cosmetic. In a series like this, the answer is going to come on the field, not in a poll.
In Other News...
Max Muncys Blunt Take Sums Up Dodgers NLCS Crisis
The Dodgers NLCS has reached a point where the scoreboard is starting to tell the whole story for them. Milwaukees 6-2 win in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium pushed the Brewers ahead 3-0 in the series, and Los Angeles has now been outscored 15-7 while trying to find any sign of momentum in a matchup that has gone firmly the other way.
Max Muncy and Dave Roberts both addressed how steep the climb has become, with the next game now carrying obvious urgency for a Dodgers club facing elimination. For a team built to expect October pressure, Game 4 is no longer about settling in or adjusting, it is about keeping the season alive long enough to change the feel of the series. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Brutal Question With Season On The Brink
Blake Snell took the mound for the Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, but the night turned on a pair of big swings that helped Milwaukee widen the gap and push Los Angeles closer to the edge. Jackson Chourios power has been one of the defining stories of the series, and the Brewers postseason breakthrough continued as they took command while Shohei Ohtani was shuffled down to sixth in the Dodgers order and still managed to reach base twice.
Now the Dodgers head into Game 4 with their season on the brink, and the margin for error has only shrunk further with the start time moved up because of weather concerns tied to the American League Championship Series. For a club built to expect October pressure, the question is no longer about finding better at-bats or cleaner pitching in theory, but whether there is enough time left to reset before the next elimination game arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Brutal Dave Roberts Decision After NLCS Collapse
The Dodgers NLCS has turned into an uphill climb after Milwaukees 6-2 win in Game 3 gave the Brewers a 3-0 series lead. Blake Snell gave Los Angeles an early look at the kind of pitching performance it needed, but the Brewers found a way to break through late, with Jake Bauers delivering the go-ahead two-run homer that changed the shape of the night.
Los Angeles never found a sustained answer at the plate, as Milwaukees pitching kept the Dodgers in check before the bullpen finished the job. For Dave Roberts, the bigger issue now is less about one game than what comes next for a team that suddenly needs a perfect response to stay alive in the series. [Read more 🡒]