The National League’s best regular-season teams are still standing, and now the Dodgers and Brewers are back on the same stage for another October meeting. Milwaukee won 103 games.
Los Angeles won 100. And after last year’s NLCS, this matchup comes with plenty of memory attached.
Christian Yelich didn’t pretend otherwise. “Coming into the postseason, you had a feeling you were going to have to go through L.A.,” said Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich.
“They’re back-to-back champs, and they’re a great team. We have a lot of respect for those guys.
“At the same time, we feel like we can play with anybody when we play our game. When we play our brand of baseball, when we play clean and execute, we’re a really hard team to beat. We’re going to go in there and grind.”
For the Dodgers, this series is part of a push for a third straight World Series title. For the Brewers, it’s a shot at payback.
This is their fifth trip to the League Championship Series, and the third straight time they’ve run into Los Angeles. The Dodgers beat them in seven games in 2018, then swept them last year after Milwaukee’s offense was shut down by L.A.’s star starters.
Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández offered the other side of that October coin. "In this sport, you can't carry previous postseasons into this postseason.
Everything is a new chapter," said Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández. "Every time you take the field in October, you get an opportunity to rewrite your story."
On the mound, the Dodgers are expected to turn to Skubal, whose NLDS Game 1 start showed exactly why L.A. went after him hard at the Trade Deadline. Against the Braves, he struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball, and he now moves into the first game of the next round as the title defense continues.
Milwaukee’s likely starter brings a very different kind of threat. Misiorowski opened NLDS Game 1 by firing a 104.8 mph first pitch, the fastest postseason pitch in the pitch tracking era, which began in 2008.
The Padres still forced him into a battle, fouling off 30 pitches over the first four innings and getting him out of the game by the fifth after 88 pitches. He was available in the bullpen for Game 4 in San Diego and even warmed up in the ninth, but he never had to enter.
That leaves him rested for Los Angeles, and his numbers against the Dodgers are strong: a 1.59 ERA and 27 strikeouts against three walks in 17 innings across three career appearances, including two regular-season starts and one relief outing in last year’s NLCS.
The Dodgers’ lineup could still shift depending on the starter they face, but Shohei Ohtani has been moved down after his end-of-regular-season issues carried into October. The projected order has Mookie Betts leading off, followed by Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, Kiké Hernández, Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages and Tommy Edman.
Milwaukee’s offense doesn’t live off the long ball, but it has plenty of ways to beat you. The Brewers finished second in the Majors in runs scored while leading MLB in batting average at .258 and on-base percentage at .341.
They were also among the league leaders in stolen bases, bunting and patience, posting the lowest swing percentage and lowest chase percentage in baseball. In the NLDS, they came from behind in two of their three wins.
Their projected lineup against a left-hander has Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras, Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz.
Both bullpens are in good shape, though the Dodgers may choose to carry extra arms in a best-of-seven series. Edwin Díaz saved the final two games of the NLDS and is back in the closer mix, with Tanner Scott also available for save situations.
Milwaukee’s relief group was especially sharp against San Diego, covering 19 innings in four games with a 0.47 ERA and a .169 opponent average. Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill handled the late innings, and after Uribe appeared in all four games while Ashby and Megill worked in three, a little rest should help.
A few hitters are already carrying October momentum into the series. Freeman is hitting .267 with two homers, Muncy is at .250 with three homers and Tucker has hit .333 for the Dodgers. Smith, at .063, and Ohtani, at .154, are still trying to get going.
For Milwaukee, Contreras has been one of the hottest bats around. He led the Majors with 24 RBIs in September, posted a .933 OPS from Sept. 9 through the end of the regular season, and kept it rolling in the NLDS with a .375/.444/.750 line and two homers against the Padres.
The Brewers would also love to see Turang rediscover the form he showed in September, when he hit .361 with a .475 on-base percentage and a 1.077 OPS that ranked among the best in baseball. He went just 2-for-16 in the NLDS.
In Other News...
William Contreras Just Put Brewers Fans On Notice About His Future
William Contreras has been at the center of Milwaukees NLDS push against the Padres, giving the Brewers the kind of middle-order production that can change a short series in a hurry. He delivered important home runs in Games 1 and 3, a reminder of just how much value he has brought since arriving in Milwaukee in 2022, when he quickly established himself as one of the clubs most durable everyday players with more than 140 games played each season.
For a Brewers team that has leaned on him heavily, the longer-view conversation now matters almost as much as the October at-bats. Contreras said in an interview that he will be a free agent after the 2027 season unless he signs an extension, and he acknowledged some uncertainty about whether his future will remain in Milwaukee. For a fan base that has grown used to seeing him in the lineup and in the middle of big moments, it is the kind of update that keeps the attention on what he does now while quietly raising the question of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphys Live Playoff Reaction Captured Brewers Fans Frustration
Pat Murphy was in the middle of a live interview during Game 3 of the NLDS when the moment every Brewers fan dreaded came flying into view. Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill slid to make a catch on Sal Frelicks drive, turning what looked like a loud extra-base hit into an abrupt defensive standout and stopping Murphy cold in real time.
For Milwaukee, it was the kind of play that summed up an inning, a game and maybe a series, all at once. The Brewers still had a chance to finish the sweep, but San Diego held on for a 4-3 win, and Murphys interrupted reaction only underscored how quickly the night swung away from Milwaukee. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy's Game 4 Pitching Choice Could Decide The Brewers' Season
After dropping the first three games of the National League Division Series, the Brewers are staring at a Game 4 decision that could shape the tone of the rest of their October. Pat Murphy has not announced a starter yet, and the question around who gets the ball has become one of the most important calls left on Milwaukees board.
Robert Gasser and Chad Patrick are both in the mix, with Kyle Harrisons role still unclear after some uneven recent work. Gasser has trended up lately, while Patrick has been mostly effective aside from one rough outing late in the season, giving Murphy a pair of very different options as he tries to keep Milwaukee alive. [Read more 🡒]