After a thrilling NLDS victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Brewers are moving on to the NLCS, where they’ll face the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-7 series. The Brewers dominated the season series against L.A., winning all six games and outscoring the Dodgers 16-12 on the road and 15-4 at home (31-16 overall).
For the season, the Dodgers went 93-69, winning the NL West once again, though in slightly less dominant fashion than they’ve done in recent years.
They boast one of the best offenses and pitching staffs in the game, though there have been some question marks due to injuries throughout the year. With most of the team now healthy, however, the Dodgers have been playing their best baseball in recent weeks, rolling through the Reds and Phillies in the first two rounds of the playoffs with five wins to just one loss.
The Dodgers’ pitching staff includes Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as veteran Clayton Kershaw and Roki Sasaki, who has been successful in a bullpen role during the playoffs. Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, and Justin Wrobleski round out L.A’s pitching staff.
On the Brewers’ side, Milwaukee is looking to keep the momentum rolling from Saturday’s win over the Cubs. They’ll have a more depleted pitching staff, however, as Pat Murphy has relied heavily on the bullpen so far this postseason.
Freddy Peralta should pitch in game 1 or 2, while Quinn Priester and Jose Quintana are also available. It’s unlikely Brandon Woodruff will be back for this series, but we’ll know for sure tomorrow morning when rosters are released. Beyond them, the Brewers have a whole lot of bullpen options, including Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Tobias Myers (who wasn’t on the NLDS roster), Aaron Ashby, Robert Gasser, Grant Anderson, Nick Mears, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe. Rookie Logan Henderson could also be available if Pat Murphy opts to include him on the roster.
Offensively, the Dodgers boast Ohtani, who is all but certain to win NL MVP, Ben Rortvedt, Dalton Rushing, and Will Smith as catching options, Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman, Kike Hernández, Hyeseong Kim, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Alex Call, and Justin Dean. Betts has been hot the last month or so, while Ohtani, Freeman, T. Hernández, and Muncy are all dangerous at the plate.
The Brewers have succeeded with a balanced attack with no clear star players. William Contreras will start at catcher, with Danny Jansen as his backup. Jake Bauers, Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn fill the infield. Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick, Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins, and Christian Yelich were the outfield/DH crew for the NLDS. Rhys Hoskins could also be in the mix if Milwaukee opts to include him on the NLCS roster.
Probable Pitchers
*Note: Neither team has announced any starting pitchers as of Sunday afternoon. I’ll fill in the gaps below as more is known.*
Monday, October 13 @ 7:08 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD
Tuesday, October 14 @ 7:08 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD
Thursday, October 16 @ TBD: TBD vs. TBD
Friday, October 17 @ TBD: TBD vs. TBD
Saturday, October 18 @ TBD *if necessary: TBD vs. TBD
Monday, October 20 @ TBD *if necessary: TBD vs. TBD
Tuesday, October 21 @ TBD *if necessary: TBD vs. TBD
How to Watch
Monday, October 13: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Tuesday, October 14: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Thursday, October 16: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Friday, October 17: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Saturday, October 18: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Monday, October 20: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Tuesday, October 21: Watch on TBS & HBO Max; available via radio on ESPN Radio and the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
This is another tough series for the Brewers, even knowing they managed to sweep the season set with the Dodgers. I think the Dodgers will take a 3-2 series lead, but Milwaukee manages to win the final two games at home for their first World Series appearance since 1982.
