Series Preview: Dodgers head to Milwaukee for NLCS rematch

MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers leave San Diego feeling a lot different than they did 72 hours earlier. What started as another pressure-packed showdown with the Padres turned into a reminder of how dangerous this roster still is when its stars lock in. 

Now comes another October rematch, this time against a Brewers team that has quietly become one of the National League’s toughest regular-season opponents for Los Angeles. The Dodgers took care of Milwaukee in last year’s NLCS. The Brewers, however, have consistently made life uncomfortable for them long before October arrives.

Dodgers (31-19, 1st in NL West)

For much of April, the lineup revolved almost entirely around Shohei Ohtani and occasional bursts from Andy Pages or Max Muncy. Over the last two weeks, the Dodgers have started looking more complete. Freddie Freeman appears to have snapped out of his first prolonged slump of the season after his two-homer performance against San Diego, while Teoscar Hernández is quietly heating back up after a cold stretch that lasted nearly a month.

That matters because this offense is at its best when opponents can’t simply pitch around Ohtani.

Even during what qualifies as a “slow” start by his standards, Ohtani remains one of the most productive players in baseball. He enters the series with nine home runs, 11 doubles and six stolen bases, but the bigger development is how much more dangerous he has looked over the last week. His swing decisions have improved noticeably, and the Dodgers are once again getting the version of Ohtani capable of changing a game instantly both as a hitter and pitcher.

Then there’s Pages, whose breakout is becoming harder to classify as temporary. The 25-year-old enters the series leading the Dodgers in RBIs and continues giving the lineup an edge it lacked early in the year: consistent production against velocity. His ninth-inning at-bat against Mason Miller on Tuesday, fouling off triple-digit fastballs before delivering the game-winning sacrifice fly, was the kind of moment that carries weight inside a clubhouse.

Justin Wrobleski has stabilized a rotation battered by injuries to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, posting a 2.49 ERA while consistently giving the Dodgers length. Roki Sasaki may have delivered his most important start of the season last weekend against the Angels, finally showing the efficiency and command the organization has been waiting to see. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues pitching like an ace even when the win-loss record doesn’t reflect it.

One of the bigger under-the-radar developments for the Dodgers lately has been the bullpen becoming a legitimate strength again. Entering the series, Dodgers relievers have thrown 28 consecutive scoreless innings, with Kyle Hurt emerging as one of Dave Roberts’ most trusted late-inning arms alongside Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen.

Brewers (29-18, 1st in NL Central)

The Brewers enter this series playing some of the best baseball in the National League after a 5-1 road trip through Minnesota and Chicago, and they continue looking exactly like the type of team Pat Murphy wants: aggressive, athletic and relentlessly annoying for opponents over nine innings.

Brice Turang has become the engine of the lineup. The second baseman enters the series hitting near .300 while continuing to pressure defenses with his speed and contact ability. William Contreras remains one of the toughest outs in the league and continues anchoring the middle of Milwaukee’s order, while Jake Bauers has quietly emerged as one of the Brewers’ most productive hitters with seven home runs and an OPS north of .850.

The Brewers don’t rely heavily on one superstar carrying the offense. Instead, they force depth battles throughout games. Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Christian Yelich all create pressure in different ways, and Milwaukee’s ability to extend innings has consistently bothered Dodgers pitching staffs in recent regular-season meetings.

The biggest surprise may be how well Milwaukee has survived major pitching injuries.

Even without Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester and several bullpen arms, the Brewers still enter the series with one of the National League’s best team ERAs. Their pitching development pipeline keeps producing contributors, and young starters Logan Henderson and Brandon Sproat have flashed swing-and-miss stuff despite some inconsistency.

This also remains one of baseball’s better defensive teams, particularly in the outfield and middle infield, which becomes important against a Dodgers lineup built around hard contact.

Pitching Probables

Monday, May 22: Justin Wrobleski (6-1, 2.49 ERA) vs. Logan Henderson (1-1, 3.50 ERA)

Tuesday, May 23: Roki Sasaki (2-3, 5.09 ERA) vs. Robert Gasser (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

Wednesday, May 24: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-4, 3.32 ERA) vs. Brandon Sproat (1-2, 5.75 ERA)

Injury Report

Dodgers

Day-to-day: none

10-day IL: none

15-day IL: RHP Brock Stewart, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Ben Casparius, LHP Blake Snell, LHP Jack Dreyer, 

60-day IL: RHP Edwin Díaz, INF/OF Tommy Edman, INF/OF Kiké Hernández, RHP Landon Knack, RHP Gavin Stone, RHP Jake Cousins, RHP Bobby Miller, RHP Evan Phillips, RHP Brusdar Graterol

Brewers

Day-to-day: none

10-day IL: OF Brandon Lockridge

15-day IL: LHP Angel Zerpa, LHP Rob Zastryzny, LHP Jared Koenig, RHP Brandon Woodruff, RHP Quinn Priester

60-day IL: OF Akil Baddoo