The Milwaukee Brewers lead the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series 2–0, with Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
Heading back to the West Coast empty-handed in the postseason isn’t the script that the Dodgers are used to.
Three World Series championships in the past six seasons qualify for a dynasty.
Not even achieving a split in the first two games of the best-of-seven series must have set off an alarm in the Dodgers universe. At least in Milwaukee for two games, Los Angeles, with their cavalcade of high-priced superstars, appeared mortal in the baseball world.
On Monday, Game 2 at American Family Field, the Brewers’ bats exploded en route to a 7–4 victory.
Milwaukee’s starter Logan Henderson topped the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto in both pitchers’ first appearances in the 2026 NLCS.
Henderson went four innings, rang up two strikeouts, and gave up two earned runs. Yamamoto, appearing in his third NLCS since signing with the Dodgers in 2024, was tagged for three earned runs in 2.2 innings of work on Monday.
Game 1 on Sunday saw Milwaukee squeeze out a 2–1 win, as Los Angeles’ starter Tarik Skubal lasted the first five innings of play.
Coughing up five hits, two walks, and two earned runs, Skubal was removed by Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, and the bullpen settled down the Brewers’ offense.
No runs and only one additional hit by Milwaukee kept the score close.
During the 2026 MLB regular season, Milwaukee (103) and Los Angeles (100) were the only clubs among all 30 franchises to reach the 100-win plateau.
After Tuesday’s game, Milwaukee’s captain Christian Yelich spoke of how his teammates refused to be mentally defeated, as the score fluctuated back and forth.
“The guys did a great job responding. We beat ourselves a little bit early in the game. You’re going to have to overcome some adversity in some of these games when things don’t go our way,” told Fox Sports.
“That was certainly early, but the guys kept battling back. We gave ourselves lots of scoring opportunities. We definitely want to cash some of those.”
Coming off being swept in four games by Los Angeles in the 2025 NLCS, the Brewers appear determined—especially with their offense—to not have a repeat of last season’s series result.
Sending their ace Jacob Misiorowski, the 2026 expected NL Cy Young Award winner, to the hill on Sunday brought about a decent performance by the second-year pro.
Allowing five hits, one run, and three walks over 4.2 innings of work was enough to quiet the Dodgers’ bats for the rest of the game.
Los Angeles’ Yamamoto, when asked after the game why he struggled in Game 2, speaking through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda, said he hadn’t yet been able to dissect any deficiencies he had against the Brewers.
Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers relieves Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the Brewers in game two of the National League Championship Series in Milwaukee on Oct. 12, 2026. (John Fisher/Getty Images)
While the Dodgers are looking to three-peat as 2026 World Series champions, it has been 44 years since Milwaukee has appeared in the series.
It was in the 1982 World Series Milwaukee lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
As the Brewers and Dodgers have an off-day scheduled for Tuesday, over in the American League Championship Series, the Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays, 1–0, with a 7–3 Game 1 victory at Tropicana Field in Southwest Florida.
With home runs belted by Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey, the Guardians have now won four consecutive postseason games.
Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez remains red-hot, as the third baseman slapped out three hits on Monday and drove in one run.
Before losing at home on Monday to the Guardians, the Rays last lost a game on Sept. 27, on the road, to the Philadelphia Phillies.
While in Game 1 the Brewers posted six hits to the Dodgers’ seven, in Game 2 Milwaukee doubled the hit output.
In the two series games so far, the Brewers have connected for 18 hits to the Dodgers’ 10.
Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for Oct. 23. The opening round of games will be played in the city of the team that earned the best regular-season record.
Milwaukee, Los Angeles, followed by Tampa Bay, is the order in which three of the four remaining clubs in the postseason finished.
Former Japanese and Dodgers pitching legend Hideo Nomo will throw out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 3 in Los Angeles, and country music singer Brad Paisley will sing the U.S. national anthem.
