The NLCS rematch between the Dodgers and Brewers may come down to the players each club added at the trade deadline, and the biggest name of all now belongs to Los Angeles.
Tarik Skubal was the headline move of the summer. He had once been a real target for Matt Arnold and the Brewers, but the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner ended up with the Dodgers in a blockbuster.
Since the deal, he has thrown 62 regular-season innings with a 2.61 ERA and 2.36 FIP, then followed that with a one-run quality start in the postseason opener against the Braves. He is set to start Game 1 of the NLCS against NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski.
The Dodgers also added 2025 All-Star Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals, giving them another arm to lean on in the bullpen. On top of that, veteran catcher Hunter Feduccia, acquired from the Rays, helped settle the backup catcher situation for Los Angeles down the stretch. Those additions all figure to matter in this series.
Milwaukee made its own moves, even if it couldn’t land Skubal or another frontline starter. The Brewers brought in Dustin May to help the rotation, and while his numbers in Milwaukee weren’t clean - a 5.65 ERA and 5.06 FIP - he still earned the Game 3 start against the Padres in the NLDS.
That outing was uneven, with two runs on two walks and three hits in three innings, but he remains one of the club’s better starting options. This time, it sounds like he’ll start Game 4 instead of Game 3, which sets up a possible revenge spot against the team with whom he won the 2020 World Series.
May’s trade package from the Cardinals also included JoJo Romero, and he quickly became a useful left-handed weapon in Milwaukee’s bullpen. He appeared twice in the NLDS and was strong outside of a solo homer given up to Jake Cronenworth. With Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Kyle Tucker all swinging from the left side for the Dodgers, Romero should see plenty of action in the NLCS.
Antonio Senzatela is another Brewers arm who drew work in the NLDS and handled it well. When his sinker is biting, it can give a lineup built to hit fastballs real problems. He and Romero are likely to be among the first bullpen options in the middle innings, helping bridge the gap to the late-inning trio of Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill.
None of those relievers carries the same weight as Skubal does for Los Angeles, but their collective impact could decide whether Milwaukee has enough pitching depth to survive the Dodgers’ lineup. If that group doesn’t hold up, the Brewers could have a hard time absorbing the damage from L.A.
In Other News...
Brice Turang Gave The Brewers Exactly What This NLCS Opener Needed
The NLCS opener had the feel Milwaukee needed from the start: tight pitching, clean defense, and a crowd that kept leaning into every small break. Brice Turang was in the middle of all of it, helping the Brewers stay attached in a game where run prevention mattered almost as much as run scoring, and where one sharp play or one well-timed swing could change the entire mood.
Turang supplied both. His defense helped Milwaukee navigate an early jam and keep the deficit from growing, then he came through with the kind of home run that can tilt a playoff game and settle a dugout. With the bullpen backing him up and the atmosphere building around him, the Brewers had exactly the sort of jolt they were hoping for in a series opener like this, even if the full impact of that night was still left to be decided. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Won Their Way But One NLCS Concern Just Got Bigger
The Brewers opened the National League Championship Series with exactly the kind of tense, low-scoring win they needed, slipping past the Dodgers 2-1 in Game 1. Jacob Misiorowski did not have his cleanest night, but Milwaukees bullpen picked up the slack with 4 2/3 scoreless innings, and the defense helped steady everything with three double plays as the Brewers kept the game from getting away.
Misiorowskis fastball was not fooling enough hitters, and the shortened outing only sharpens the attention on how Milwaukee will handle the rest of this series. The Brewers won the opener anyway, which is the important part, but against a lineup like Los Angeles, they will need more than run prevention and clean gloves if the concern around their young starter grows into a bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Sounds All In On Jackson Chourios October Moment
As the Brewers turn their attention to the Dodgers, Pat Murphy made it clear that Jackson Chourio has been one of the defining reasons Milwaukee has been able to keep its October run alive. The left fielder has stood out for the kind of all-around impact that matters most this time of year, with Murphy pointing to his steady defense, consistent approach and knack for coming through when the pressure rises.
Chourio has also given Milwaukee needed production at the plate in the postseason, becoming a central part of the offense in key moments. His work so far has already changed the feel of the Brewers October, and with a matchup like this one looming, the attention on what he can do next only figures to grow. [Read more 🡒]