The Dodgers are about to see a familiar arm again, only this time in the other dugout. Dustin May, once billed as a future front-line starter in Los Angeles, is back in the NLCS as a Milwaukee Brewer.
May’s path to this point has been anything but linear. After signing a two-year deal with the St.
Louis Cardinals that included a mutual option for 2027, he gave his career a jolt with a strong run in St. Louis.
His 4.38 ERA didn’t fully capture how effective he was; the underlying numbers were better, with a 3.15 FIP, and he even came within reach of a no-hitter during the season.
That rebound was enough to get Milwaukee’s attention. The Brewers traded for May and left-handed reliever Jojo Romero, hoping the right-hander’s stuff would carry over into October.
So far, the results have been uneven. May finished the regular season with a 5.65 ERA and a 5.06 FIP, then started Game 3 in the postseason and lasted just three innings, allowing three hits, two walks and two runs.
Milwaukee does not have May lined up among its first three starters, but he still figures to matter in the series. Whether that comes in the form of a full start or multiple long relief outings, the Brewers are planning to use him at different points.
For the Dodgers, the decision to move on from May came in midseason of 2025, when they sent him out and got prospects James Tibbs II and Zach Ehrhard in return. It was the kind of deal that barely registered on the major league roster, because Los Angeles had so much pitching depth that May’s departure hardly left a dent.
The trade has looked strong for the Dodgers, who have watched Tibbs and Ehrhard continue to develop while the club went on to win the 2025 World Series. May, meanwhile, struggled after the move and posted a 5.40 ERA in six appearances for the Red Sox.
His Dodgers story still starts with the promise that made him such a prized arm in the first place. In 2019, he arrived as a 21-year-old phenom, firing a fastball with nasty movement and enough talent to make him look like a future rotation anchor.
Command was occasionally an issue, but the raw stuff always stood out. Over his first three big-league seasons, he put up a 2.93 ERA across 113.2 innings.
Then came the injuries, and with them the end of any real momentum. By the time Los Angeles dealt him, the Dodgers were already stockpiling starting pitching and had moved on from the pitcher they once expected to build around.
In Other News...
Dodgers Could Gain A Huge Edge In MLBs Latest Playoff Debate
Major League Baseballs latest CBA pitch could reshape the postseason in a way that matters a lot to clubs that routinely finish near the top of the standings. Among the ideas on the table are a shorter regular season, a longer Division Series and a bigger emphasis on playoff inventory, all of it designed to create more high-stakes October baseball and, just as clearly, more revenue.
For the Dodgers, the debate carries extra weight because they have spent recent seasons in the upper tier of the bracket, the sort of position that could turn a format change into a real advantage. If the league moves forward with giving top seeds more control over their path, it would only add to the leverage that comes with playing deep into October from a familiar perch, and the ripple effect could be felt well beyond Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Open NLCS With An October Test Fans Have Waited For
The Dodgers are finally back at the point of the season where every pitch feels louder, with the National League Championship Series opening Sunday in Milwaukee. It is the kind of October stage this roster and its fan base have been circling all year, and the matchup brings an immediate edge with the Brewers turning to Jacob Misiorowski on the mound.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will answer with Tarik Skubal in Game 1, setting up a high-end pitching duel right away. For fans tracking the series from afar, the article also lays out the full NLCS and ALCS schedule along with the TV and streaming details, a useful road map as the postseason tightens and every game becomes must-see viewing. [Read more 🡒]
Max Muncy Had The Perfect Reaction To Dodgers Haunted Hotel Talk
The Pfister Hotels haunted reputation in Milwaukee has been around long enough to become part of the Dodgers travel conversation, and Max Muncy is not losing any sleep over it. The third baseman made it clear he is not worried about ghosts, adding a light touch to a topic that has followed visiting players for years more as clubhouse folklore than verified fact.
Mookie Betts has reportedly chosen to stay elsewhere since 2022, and Teoscar Hernandez once left the hotel during last years NLCS because his wife was uncomfortable. Muncys reaction lands on the other end of that spectrum, the kind of shrugging confidence that fits a veteran team on the road, even if the old hotel stories keep drawing fresh attention every time the Dodgers come through Milwaukee. [Read more 🡒]