Dodgers, Brewers Open NLCS With Contrasting Postseason Strengths
The Los Angeles Dodgers open the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at American Family Field in Milwaukee. First pitch for Game 1 is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. Milwaukee holds home-field advantage after finishing the regular season 103-59, three games ahead of Los Angeles at 100-62.
Tarik Skubal is the probable starter for Los Angeles, while Jacob Misiorowski gets the ball for Milwaukee. Both pitchers enter with momentum from the division round: Misiorowski leads Brewers pitchers with six strikeouts this postseason, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not Sunday's starter, has been the Dodgers' most dominant arm with 10 strikeouts. water polo betting
Milwaukee's offense has been carried by Andrew Vaughn, hitting .500 this postseason, and Jackson Chourio, who leads the team with six RBI. Catcher William Contreras has been the Brewers' most productive hitter in October, batting .375 with two home runs and two RBI across four NLDS games against San Diego, including a 3-for-4 performance with a home run on October 6. Christian Yelich reached base in all four division-series games, hitting .357 with two stolen bases, exploiting a Dodgers pitching staff that allowed two stolen bases against Atlanta without recording a caught-stealing.
Los Angeles leans on power rather than average. The Dodgers hit just .203 as a team in the NLDS yet scored 14 runs, with Max Muncy driving much of that production - three home runs and three RBI in 12 at-bats for a 1.000 slugging percentage. Kyle Tucker is hitting .333 this postseason, and Freddie Freeman has reached base in three of four division-series games while slugging .667. Los Angeles pitchers, meanwhile, held Atlanta to a .145 batting average over 36 innings, a mark that sets up a difficult test for Milwaukee's lineup in the series opener.
Milwaukee's pitching staff posted a 1.80 ERA and limited opponents to a .181 batting average in the NLDS against San Diego, striking out 32 batters in 35 innings. That depth puts a premium on the Dodgers' ability to manufacture extra-base hits rather than rely on sustained rallies, a pattern that defined their eight-home-run output against Atlanta in the division round.