The Milwaukee Brewers opened the National League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday at American Family Field, riding a bullpen effort to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven rematch, mlb.com reported. Last year, Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in the same round, but Game 1 showcased a different trajectory as Milwaukee’s relievers held the Dodgers scoreless over the final 5 2/3 innings.
Jacob Misiorowski Navigates Early Trouble Against Dodgers Offense
Los Angeles tested Milwaukee starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski immediately, forcing a 35-pitch second inning that began with Shohei Ohtani drawing a walk and scoring on an RBI single by Andy Pages, according to mlb.com. The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out, but Misiorowski induced Kiké Hernández into an inning-ending double play orchestrated by shortstop Cooper Pratt and second baseman Brice Turang. Misiorowski allowed five hits and three walks across 4 1/3 innings while striking out hitters despite not having his best swing-and-miss stuff, as reported by mlb.com. Los Angeles Times noted that Misiorowski’s fastball velocity dropped to double digits by the third inning after facing a grind-it-out approach similar to the one the Dodgers used against Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale in the Division Series.
Brice Turang and Luis Lara Deliver Decisive Runs Off Tarik Skubal
Brice Turang tied the game 1-1 in the fourth inning by hitting a 2-0 sinker from Skubal for a solo home run, telling mlb.com he aimed to stay inside the ball and drive it up the middle. In the fifth, Garrett Mitchell drew a walk, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Pratt, and scored the go-ahead run on a first-pitch changeup driven into center field by 21-year-old outfielder Luis Lara. Bleacher Report noted that prediction markets such as Dimers gave the Dodgers a 56.0% chance to win Game 1 prior to first pitch, reflecting Skubal’s presence on the mound.
Bullpen Depth Preserves One-Run Lead in Ninth Inning
Following Misiorowski’s departure, Abner Uribe pitched a scoreless sixth inning, Aaron Ashby covered the seventh and eighth, and Trevor Megill took the mound for the ninth. Betts sent a deep drive to center field that nestled into Mitchell’s glove at the warning track to end the game. According to historical postseason data cited by mlb.com, teams winning Game 1 at home in a 2-3-2 format have gone on to win the series 67% of the time, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasized that a long series remains ahead.
Pitching Matchups and Roster Surprises for the Series
Who are the starting pitchers for Game 2 of the NLCS?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers against right-hander Logan Henderson of the Milwaukee Brewers for Game 2 on Monday at American Family Field, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
How did Luis Lara reach the majors for Milwaukee?
The 21-year-old outfielder made the roster despite not knowing he would reach the big leagues this season, according to comments made by Brewers manager Pat Murphy to mlb.com after Lara drove in the winning run in Game 1.
What was the outcome of last year’s postseason meeting between these teams?
The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in four games during last year’s National League Championship Series on their way to a second consecutive World Series title, according to Syracuse.com and the Los Angeles Times.