Category: MLB

Imagine a nurse asking the Dodgers: “Any allergies?”

And the Dodgers responding: “Oh, just RISP.”

“Just RISP?” the nurse would ask, incredulously. “Just hitting with runners in scoring position? Fellas, that’s serious. That could be season-ending.”

“Oh, it’s OK,” the Dodgers would say, “because we can always slug to counteract it. And we have incredible starting pitching, so we can get away with it.”

That would not make the nurse — or any Dodgers fan sweating out this postseason — feel better.

Especially not after watching how consequential the Dodgers’ lack of timely hitting was Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, a 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Read more:Brewers get just enough off Tarik Skubal, draw first blood in NLCS Game 1 win

The Dodgers left nine runners on base and went one for six with runners in scoring position.

Thus far, Andy Pages appears to be the only one on the team somewhat immune to the inopportune blues, because while in five postseason games the Dodgers are collectively two for 22 with runners in scoring position, he has both of those hits. But he also struck out with runners on the corners in the sixth inning Sunday.

Continuing to squander so many opportunities is bound to come with a price.

Squandering so many competitive at-bats against the Brewers’ flamethrowing Jacob Misiorowski is going to cost the Dodgers.

Squandering slumping Shohei Ohtani’s single — a Sho-poke to left-center field that was just his third hit in these playoffs — is going to haunt them.

The Dodgers are going to squander the grandest opportunity of all — the possibility of the three-peat, something only two other MLB franchises have pulled off, and none in the National League.

They know this.

“The offense has to find a way to get some more timely hits,” said Mookie Betts, who got a pitch in the middle of the zone but flew out to center field to end the game with two runners aboard. “We do have to keep applying pressure, but we’ve got to find a way to break through.”

That’s L.A. traffic for you.

It stinks if you get stuck in it, but it’s also a sign of a desirable situation, of good weather and lively culture and plentiful entertainment options that include, typically, winning baseball.

The Dodgers left 7.19 runners on base per game this 100-win season, more than all but four teams, and they ranked 16th with 3.5 runners left in scoring position. That they regularly got so many runners on is a good thing; leaving so many of them stranded isn’t.

Read more:Shaikin: Is there a law that says the Dodgers can't play small ball?

“It depends on your perspective,” Betts said Sunday. “For us, obviously it sucks. But it’s encouraging just because we keep applying pressure. That’s all you can really do and hope that somebody gets that hit. They got it, they got their hit. At some point we’ve got to get ours.”

The Brewers left seven runners on base Sunday and went two for seven with runners in scoring position. That one extra hit — not only getting something brewing, but following through, manufacturing a second run with a sacrifice bunt and a timely single — was the difference.

“Some of it is just baseball,” Betts added. “We hit into a couple double plays and just didn’t really get to build any innings.”

The Dodgers actually hit into three double plays Sunday — an entirely characteristic plot point for an older, slower team that hit into a league-leading 128 double plays this season.

“Just didn’t get the hit with guys in scoring position,” said Teoscar Hernández, who singled twice and was stranded each time. “We need to be better in that situation.”

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers could be in big trouble if Brewers steal their October swagger

How? What’s the prescription? Is there a reliable antihistamine for these chronic RISP woes?

“Just keep grinding,” Hernández said. “Get a good pitch and don’t miss it. They’re not going to miss a lot, so when you get one you just have to put a good swing on it.”

It isn’t only the NBA that’s a make-or-miss league, turns out.

And Kobe Bryant’s famous “job’s not finished” postseason credo really is about taking it one step at a time, all the way across the finish line.

The Dodgers need to finish the job, need to bring home some baserunners — or they won’t be bringing home a third consecutive World Series championship.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers executed their game plan and lost. The Milwaukee Brewers executed their game plan and won.

Back in California, Dodgers fans screamed at their television sets. This is postseason baseball, where the best pitchers take center stage and runs are at a premium.

Why don’t the Dodgers at least try to mimic the Brewers? Would a stolen base or a sacrifice bunt every so often kill the Dodgers?

“I think we should play Dodger baseball,” shortstop Mookie Betts said. “So, whatever Dodger baseball is, that’s what we should do. We should not try and play Milwaukee Brewers baseball.”

Read more:Brewers get just enough off Tarik Skubal, draw first blood in NLCS Game 1 win

And what is Dodger baseball?

“It’s a very complex thing,” Betts said. “We pitch. We play defense. We hit. We’ve got to figure out a way to get some timely hits. If we’ve got to steal a base, we’ll steal a base. But we don’t need to change our identity.”

In the big picture, no need to overreact to the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss in the National League Championship Series opener.

But take a close look at the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Brewers scored the decisive run. With the score tied 1-1, Garrett Mitchell walked to start the inning, and Cooper Pratt sacrificed him to second. Luis Lara singled him home, scoring a runner in scoring position.

Joey Ortiz then grounded into what would have been a double play, had the Brewers not started Lara from first base. That was huge: Ortiz was out at first but, by staying out of the double play, the Brewers forced Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal to throw an additional 15 pitches to secure that third out.

That forced the Dodgers to remove Skubal from the game after he made 26 pitches in the fifth inning, and 81 overall.

“They’re willing to give up an out to get a guy in scoring position to get a hit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers have not dropped a sacrifice bunt this postseason. In their World Series championship run last year, they dropped five sacrifice bunts: two by outfielder Andy Pages, who wasn’t hitting; two by light-hitting backup catcher Ben Rortvedt; and one by infielder Miguel Rojas.

This is Dodger baseball: The Dodgers hit 50 more home runs this season than the Brewers, who finished last in the NL in homers.

The Brewers had more than twice as many stolen bases as the Dodgers and more than twice as many sacrifice bunts. The Dodgers’ NLCS roster accounted for six sacrifices this season, including three by infielder-outfielder Tommy Edman.

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers could be in big trouble if Brewers steal their October swagger

Brice Turang, who bats second for Milwaukee, homered off Skubal in the fourth inning Sunday and sacrificed in the eighth.

If you want to say the Dodgers should slug away and play for the big inning, fine. If you want to say the Dodgers should be reluctant to bunt in October with players not asked to bunt during the regular season, Edman isn’t buying that.

“It’s definitely tough,” Edman said. “But it’s definitely something that we should all be able to do. If you’re a big leaguer, you should be able to do everything on the field that you’re asked to do. If that’s what the situation of the game calls for, we should be able to do it.”

The Brewers have played five postseason games, scoring 15 runs. They have won four games, three of them by one run. If the Dodgers can take a few big swings, they could get mighty comfortable.

The Dodgers also have played five postseason games, scoring 15 runs. But here’s a defining difference: In each of their five games, the Brewers have two hits with runners in scoring position.

In their five games, the Dodgers have a total of two hits with runners in scoring position.

This is the place where you, gentle reader, remind me that I said the Dodgers executed their game plan. What the heck?

They did, actually: They thought their best chance to win was to run up the pitch count on Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski and get him out of the game early.

Seven of the first nine batters did not swing at the first pitch. More than half the at-bats off Misiorowski took at least four pitches.

They fouled off 20 pitches and got him out of the game after 4⅓ innings, so the Milwaukee bullpen would have to cover more innings than he would.

Read more:Will Smith is in a slump, but benching him isn't an option for Dodgers

“We lost, so it didn’t really work,” Betts said. “But we did a good job with some good at-bats and fouled off some pitches and made him work. That’s really all you can do.”

The Brewers have scored five of their 15 runs via the home run, the Dodgers 11 of 15. Do the Dodgers need to mix in some small ball and change their approach at bat?

“I don’t think guys are going up there trying to hit home runs,” Betts said. “Guys are going up there just trying to have good at-bats. Sometimes, you get ‘em. Sometimes you don’t. But we are playing against a really good team. We just have to put it behind us and just come out and play Dodger baseball.”

It’s time for Dodger baseball. Lose Game 2, and the Dodgers will be two defeats from a bitter winter.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: We’d all like to forget the ALDS ever happened. However, as is often the case in life, the lowest points contain the best lessons. Phillips opines that the Yankees’ personnel choices and performances in Game 3 should inform their offseason decisions about Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon, and Trent Grisham. Letting Jazz and Grisham walk in free agency would be simple enough, but McMahon is still under contract for 2027, and cutting ties with him now would mean eating $16 million — though DJ LeMahieu’s contract is now at least off the books. Now, it’s not my money, and my opinion is that the Yankees should cut bait with him regardless, but we’ll have to see what happens.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Speaking of the offseason, Miller has identified four free agents that, in his words, would enable the Yankees to “play like Rays” and “win like Rays”. They are: Luis Arraez, Mauricio Dubón, Carson Kelly, and Tyrone Taylor. The Arraez suggestion is predictable but makes sense, but one has to wonder how well his defensive gains this year will carry over to 2027 without Ron Washington coaching him. Although the righty-hitting, lefty-mashing Kelly could make sense as a platoon partner for Austin Wells, I don’t see him accepting anything less than a starting role. As for Dubón and Taylor, they’re nice role players, but I fail to see how they move the needle. (And Dubón made an error in the NLDS against the Dodgers that certainly felt Boone Era Yankeelike.)

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Finally, Kuty took to the interwebs to gather reactions from Yankees fans about their season ending. Surprise: they aren’t too happy about it. Neither the selected tweets nor Kuty’s “analysis” of them tell you anything you didn’t already know, but if you’re down in the dumps, hopefully this venting session can offer you some vicarious relief.

Important dates to know as Phillies enter uncertain offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Major League Baseball will enter an unorthodox offseason with an expected work stoppage that could very well impact the 2027 season.

That will directly impact the Phillies.

The organization enters the winter without a permanent manager, with several prominent players reaching free agency and with an expensive roster that needs more than a few alterations after its fifth consecutive postseason run ended without a championship.

The most significant date on the calendar is Dec. 1, when the collective bargaining agreement expires. If Major League Baseball and the Players Association do not reach a new agreement, the owners are expected to initiate a lockout.

Before then, the Phillies will have opportunities to change their roster. They will also face several deadlines that could shape what they are able to accomplish before transactions potentially come to a halt.

Here are the important dates to know:

TBD (October): Phillies’ end of season press conference

The Phillies have not announced when they will hold their end-of-season press conference.

Philadelphia could make a decision on Don Mattingly before the press conference takes place. Either way, it should provide insight into their managerial direction and how aggressively the organization intends to reshape its roster before the CBA expires.

Oct. 23-31: World Series

The World Series is scheduled to begin Oct. 23. A potential Game 7 would be played Oct. 31.

Its conclusion will officially begin the offseason transaction calendar. Several deadlines are determined by the number of days following the final game rather than a fixed date.

Day after the World Series: Free agency begins

Players with expiring contracts become free agents the day after the World Series, although they cannot sign with another organization until five days after the series ends. Teams are permitted to begin making trades immediately.

The Phillies’ impending free agents include Alec Bohm, Luis Arraez, Adolis García, Edmundo Sosa, José Alvarado, Brooks Raley and Tim Mayza.

Nestor Cortes is also set to become a free agent after signing a major-league contract with the Phillies in August.

That group represents a considerable portion of the lineup, bench and bullpen. The Phillies will have an exclusive five-day window to negotiate with them before they can sign elsewhere.

Unlike several other clubs, the Phillies do not currently have a major-league contract option to exercise or decline.

Fifth day after the World Series: Open free agency and qualifying offers

Free agents can begin signing with all 30 teams five days after the World Series ends.

This is also the deadline for clubs to extend qualifying offers to eligible free agents. Players who receive one will have 10 additional days to accept or reject it.

The Phillies will have to determine whether any of their eligible free agents warrant an offer. If a player rejects it and signs elsewhere, Philadelphia would receive draft-pick compensation. Depending on the signing club’s revenue-sharing and competitive-balance-tax status, it could forfeit draft selections and international bonus-pool money.

Players on the 60-day injured list must also be reinstated by this date, which can create an immediate 40-man roster crunch.

Nov. 1-Dec. 5: Japanese posting window

Players under contract with Nippon Professional Baseball clubs can be posted for major-league teams during this window.

Once a player is posted, teams have 45 days to negotiate a contract. If no agreement is reached, the player returns to his Japanese club.

That window carries additional interest after the Phillies’ previous attempts to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. The organization has never signed a Japanese-born player to a major-league contract, but Japan could provide the Phillies with an opportunity to alter the identity of their roster.

Third baseman Teruaki Sato is among the Japanese players expected to attract major-league interest if he is posted.

Nov. 9-12: BBWAA awards announced

The major Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards will be revealed over four consecutive nights.

Rookie of the Year will be announced Nov. 9, Manager of the Year on Nov. 10, Cy Young on Nov. 11 and Most Valuable Player on Nov. 12.

The Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, All-MLB, Hank Aaron, Comeback Player of the Year and Reliever of the Year awards will also be announced during the offseason.

Nov. 14: Arizona Fall League championship

The Arizona Fall League championship will be played Nov. 14.

Ten Phillies prospects are participating in the league, including Aidan Miller, Aroon Escobar and Dante Nori. Their performances can be followed throughout the season in the Phillies’ Arizona Fall League tracker.

The Fall League gives Miller an opportunity to make up for time lost to back surgery. It also gives the Phillies a longer evaluation period for several prospects before they make their Rule 5 decisions.

Nov. 17: Rule 5 protection deadline

The Phillies must add eligible prospects to their 40-man roster by Nov. 17 to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

Among their eligible prospects are Bryan Rincon, Aroon Escobar, Pan Wen-hui, Mavis Graves and Kehden Hettiger.

Rincon and Escobar spent the season with Double-A Reading. Both are ranked among the top prospects in the Phillies’ system and would be at risk of being selected if left unprotected.

A player selected in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft must remain on his new team’s active roster for the entire following season or be offered back to his original organization.

Nov. 20: Non-tender deadline

The Phillies must tender contracts to every unsigned player on their 40-man roster by Nov. 20. Any player who is not tendered a contract immediately becomes a free agent.

Philadelphia has nine players eligible for salary arbitration: Garrett Stubbs, Brandon Marsh, Jhoan Duran, Bryson Stott, Tanner Banks, Derek Hill, Rafael Marchán, Bryan De La Cruz and Orion Kerkering.

Tendering a contract does not finalize a player’s salary. It allows the Phillies to retain his rights and continue negotiating before arbitration figures are exchanged.

The deadline could create additional movement. The Phillies can trade an arbitration-eligible player before Nov. 20 or non-tender him if they do not believe his projected salary fits their plans.

Dec. 1: Collective bargaining agreement expires

The current CBA expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1.

If the league and union do not reach a new agreement, MLB’s owners are expected to lock out the players. Transactions involving major-league players would stop, and team officials would be prohibited from communicating with players on the 40-man roster.

That possibility adds another layer to the Phillies’ managerial decision. A new manager could have a limited period to speak with his players and establish relationships before communication is cut off.

The uncertainty also complicates long-term planning. Salary arbitration, the competitive-balance tax, free agency, revenue sharing and other roster rules could change under the next agreement. The Phillies have already committed significant money beyond 2026, while players such as Stott, Duran and Marsh are approaching increasingly expensive arbitration seasons.

It is also why early extension decisions involving Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford and Aidan Miller have become more complicated.

Dec. 7-9: Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings are scheduled to take place in San Diego from Dec. 7-9.

Those meetings would ordinarily represent one of the busiest periods of the offseason, but they are expected to be canceled if the owners initiate a lockout.

The MLB draft lottery is scheduled for Dec. 8, followed by the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 9. The lottery would be delayed until a new agreement is reached if there is a lockout. The Rule 5 draft could be postponed or canceled entirely.

January: Arbitration and international signing period

Under a normal offseason calendar, teams and arbitration-eligible players exchange salary figures in January. Players who do not reach agreements with their clubs proceed to hearings later in the winter.

Those dates could be delayed or replaced depending on the next CBA. The Phillies’ arbitration class is especially significant because Stott, Marsh and Duran are each due sizable raises.

The international amateur signing period is also expected to open in January. The Phillies made their largest international investment in franchise history when they signed Francisco Renteria in 2025, and he has quickly developed into one of the top prospects in the organization.

That portion of the calendar could also be changed by a new agreement.

The Baseball Hall of Fame voting results will be announced in January. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels and Bobby Abreu are expected to return to the ballot. Utley received 59.1 percent of the vote last winter, leaving him within striking distance of the 75-percent threshold in his fourth year of eligibility.

Feb. 19: Phillies begin Grapefruit League play

The Phillies are scheduled to open their spring training schedule against the Tigers in Lakeland on Feb. 19. Their first home game in Clearwater is scheduled for the following day against the Blue Jays.

Those games remain on the calendar, but their status will depend on whether MLB and the union can complete a new agreement in time.

The previous lockout lasted 99 days and delayed the beginning of spring training in 2022.

March 25: Opening Day

The Phillies are scheduled to open the 2027 regular season against the Nationals in Washington on March 25.

Their home opener is scheduled for April 1, also against Washington.

Those dates provide the endpoint for an offseason unlike any the Phillies have faced during their current competitive window. How much business they complete before Dec. 1 could determine how prepared they are whenever baseball resumes.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers knew the magnitude of this one.

It was just Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday night at American Family Field, but they had their ace, Jacob Misiorowski on the mound. They had a fresh bullpen. They had momentum.

They also had the bitter memory of a year ago that needed to be erased.

You see, the Brewers were in this same position a year ago, facing the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, with home field advantage.

The Dodgers embarrassed them.

It was humiliating, really.

MLB PAYROLLS 2026 Dodgers spend more than other three LCS teams combined

The Brewers not only were swept, but they didn’t lead a single inning, and set a dubious postseason record hitting just .118.

So now, after winning Game 1, 2-1, with their vaunted bullpen picking up Misiorowski and shutting down the Dodgers’ powerful offense, just what did this game mean to their psyche?

“Well," said Brewers closer Trevor Megill, “we ain’t getting swept now. We can relax a little bit."

Don’t let the Brewers fool you. They know how important this game meant for their chances to go where no Brewer team has gone since 1982 with a World Series berth.

“I think that was huge," Brewers left-handed reliever DL Hall said. “Momentum plays a big part in the postseason."

The series wouldn’t have been over with a loss, but with World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamto taking the mound Monday in Game 2 for the Dodgers, the Brewers simply couldn’t afford to head to Los Angeles down 2-0 and still be confident of a return trip to Milwaukee for a potential Game 6.

Now, for the first time since 2021, the Dodgers are trailing in the NLCS, while the Brewers are not only surviving, but embracing their heart-stopping close games.

“You can't go into a long series against a team that has the best record in baseball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “and expect to just win four. It's going to be a long series. We knew it coming in. We had our chances, but they made plays, pitches when they needed to. We've just got to reset."

The Brewers certainly are developing a knack for these tense moments. They are only the third team in postseason history not to lead or trail by more than two runs in a game, joining the 1915 Red Sox and Phillies. And they are only the fourth club in the last 110 teams to have each of their first five games decided by two or fewer runs.

“Hey," said Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell, “it’s Brewer baseball. We never give up, man."

It’s not as if the Brewers smacked around two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal for five innings or the Dodgers bullpen, producing just six hits the entire game. Their own ace, Misiorowski, lasted just 4 ½ innings. But, oh, that bullpen. It no longer is the best-kept secret in the game.

The Brewers’ bullpen, which gave up just two hits in 4 ⅔ shutout innings, has yielded a 0.38 ERA this postseason. They have pitched 23 ⅔ innings in the first five games have a .163 batting average batting average against, with only three extra-base hits, and nine strikeouts.

“Everyone down there throws a sinker," said Aaron Ashby, who pitched two scoreless innings. “Getting the ball on the ground certainly helps limiting damage. And everyone’s got a swing-and-miss pitch to offer. So, it helps when you have swing-and-miss stuff in the postseason….

“I just think we have a great combination and variety."

The last time a bullpen had this low of an ERA in the first games of a postseason since the divisional era in 1969 was the 2006 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

“I don't know how you could get more out of them," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We're squeezing everything we can, and they just get better and more confident. They're making pitches and pick each other up.

“They don't care. They just want to get outs for the Milwaukee Brewers, and that's the beauty of it. Everything else that will come their way will be a result of just caring so much about the team and not just about themselves.’’

The same attitude is reflected by its offense. They bunted. They hit-and-ran. They moved runners over. They tried to steal. They even got a homer from second baseman Brice Turang.

It was Brewer baseball.

You get a feeling this could be their year when Turang, who hit just .067 (1-for-15) against the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS, hit a 96-mph fastball on the black on the inside part of the plate for a home run to lead off the fourth inning.

“I’m going to tip my hat on a pitch like that," Skubal said. “A 2-0 sinker in, I mean, I’m going to live with that left on left."

Turang, who was working on his swing late into the evening Friday, said it brought back memories growing up and spending the night in the batting cage.

“I just didn’t want to foul off my knee again," Turang said. “That’s one way to help you stay inside of a ball is hit a ball off your leg or your foot . ... It definitely felt good. It was one of those things where you just are trying to do something, and you end up doing something like that."

It was no different for Brewers 21-year-old rookie Luis Lara, with only 61 games of big-league experience, who stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning. Mitchell led off the inning with a walk. Fellow rookie Cooper Pratt moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. And Lara slapped a single up the middle on a changeup for a 2-1 lead that the Brewers’ bullpen refused to relinquish.

“The dream for me is to win the World Series," he said. “That will be the dream moment is when we’re able to complete that. Obviously, very happy that I was able to come through for my teammates and that we were able to get the win."

It’s the little things that enabled them to win a major-league leading 103 games this season, despite having the second-lowest home run total in baseball.

How do they pull it off?

“I think the buy-in factor," Turang says, “with everyone buying into what we're trying to accomplish and kind of our style of play. Guys are getting more experience, they're learning the game. That's a big factor in this. Then not giving up when we are behind in the game and knowing that we can do it, we can make up runs.

"This group is really, really good with that.’’

They proved that during the season, and now, they’re doing it in the postseason, this time for all of the world to see.

“Just Brewers baseball,’’ Megill said. “You gotta love it.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Brewers squeezed Dodgers to win torturous NLCS opener: 'Gotta love it'

The Dodgers have a big hole in the middle of their batting order, and it’s not Shohei Ohtani.

If anything, Ohtani has reemerged as an offensive force in the cleanup spot, singling, walking and scoring the Dodgers’ only run Sunday in a 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

The problem is with the guy hitting in front of Ohtani.

Will Smith walked in four plate appearances, marking just the second time he’s reached base in the postseason. In the four division series games against the Atlanta Braves, he had a single in 16 at-bats, striking out seven times. He’s hitting .053 in the playoffs — only Cleveland’s Ángel Martínez has a lower average among players with at least nine at-bats.

But there’s not much the Dodgers can do about it. They are built to win with pitching and Smith, the catcher, is the guy they rely on to guide those pitchers through games.

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers could be in big trouble if Brewers steal their October swagger

Dalton Rushing, who started just three fewer games behind the plate than Smith this season, is injured and not on the roster. Hunter Feduccia, who did make the team, caught just 15 complete games this season and isn’t an option to start in the playoffs.

“I’m not going to put Feduccia in place of Will Smith,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s just not going to happen.”

So Roberts and the Dodgers are left to muddle on with Smith regardless of how much he struggles offensively. That’s because he’s far more valuable crouching behind the plate than standing next to it.

“I don’t even know how he’s performing offensively,” said Tarik Skubal, who took the loss Sunday. “Catchers, I think it’s the most important position on the field. They’re the ones calling pitches, dictating game flow, rhythm, all that type of stuff. I’m going to trust those guys always.”

Smith appears to be executing his catching duties very well, since opponents have scored just 10 runs and are hitting .160 against the Dodgers this postseason. Only Tampa Bay, which has played two fewer games, has done better.

As for what Smith thinks, that’s unknown because the Dodgers did not make him available to the media Sunday. But since he’s not coming out of the lineup, the next-best solution might be moving him to another spot in the order.

That worked with Ohtani, who had as many strikeouts as hits in the first two games of the division series, when he batted second. Since being dropped in the order, he has reached base four times in three games, stolen a base and scored twice.

“There’s always lineup construction. I can think it through. He’s not swinging the bat well,” Roberts said of Smith. “It’s hard because of the body of work, he just has that knack to get a hit, to get a big hit.”

That’s exactly what happened last fall when Smith’s two-out, 11th-inning home run in Game 7 of the World Series helped the Dodgers win a second straight title.

Smith was on the injured list for 86 days this summer because of neck disk inflammation, returning for the final month when he slashed .290/.400/.548. He has cooled off considerably in October, just as he did last year, when he returned from a right hand contusion three games into the playoffs and got just two hits in his first 14 at-bats.

Read more:Brewers get just enough off Tarik Skubal, draw first blood in NLCS Game 1 win

He recovered to bat .400 in last year’s NLCS win over Milwaukee, then broke a 4-4 tie with his winning homer against the Toronto Blue Jays. Just as important, though, Smith caught all but 11 innings in the Dodgers’ final 15 postseason games — including two 11-inning games and another that lasted 18 innings.

Smith rarely has hit well in the postseason, batting just .206 in 18 series, which may explain Roberts’ lack of panic. Plus, Roberts knows his All-Star catcher has helped him win three World Series rings, and if the Dodgers are to get another, it will be on the strength of their pitching, not their hitting.

And that side of Smith’s game is as strong as ever.

“To be honest, that’s not where my focus is with Will,” Skubal said of his catcher’s hitting. “My focus is what he’s doing behind the dish and he’s very important. He’s very important to the entire pitching staff.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MILWAUKEE — This isn't why the Los Angeles Dodgers got Tarik Skubal.

The Dodgers outbid everyone else interested, including the Milwaukee Brewers, because they thought the two-time Cy Young Award winner would deliver them a third consecutive World Series title. They gave up three highly touted prospects to get Skubal because, when you're the Dodgers, the future doesn't matter nearly as much as the present.

What Los Angeles didn't do was get Skubal to lose Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, giving those Brewers their first postseason win over the Dodgers since 2018. It was only Skubal's second loss in the postseason, and first since the 2024 ALDS.

"I didn't do my job," Skubal said after taking the loss in Milwaukee's 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 11. "Anytime we lose and it's 2-1, I didn't do my job."

Harsh as it might be to say, Skubal is right. Though the Dodgers have rallied after losing a Game 1 before — they lost the first game of the World Series last year and look how that turned out — there's a reason he was on the mound to start this series.

Skubal was 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA in his previous seven postseason starts, including a win in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. He'd never gone fewer than six innings in a playoff game or thrown fewer than 84 pitches. Since joining the Dodgers on Aug. 2, Skubal was 5-2, and Los Angeles had won his last seven starts.

If Los Angeles wanted to send the Brewers a message that their 103-win regular season was nice and all but they shouldn't expect this postseason matchup to be different than their others, Skubal was the guy to do it.

Except he wasn't.

Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee's young ace, didn't have his best stuff, giving up an RBI single to Andy Pages in the second inning after issuing a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani. But Misiorowski and the Brewers bullpen managed to limit the damage from there, allowing the Dodgers only three runners in scoring position over the last six innings.

The Brewers, meanwhile, got sharper against Skubal the more they saw him.

In Skubal's first run through the Milwaukee lineup, he had six strikeouts while allowing just one hit. In his final two innings, he gave up two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out one.

"I thought my stuff was just as good as it was early and late," Skubal said. "They just put the ball in play later in the game."

The Brewers tied the game in the fourth, when Brice Turang led off with a homer on a 2-0 pitch. In the fifth inning, Skubal gave up a leadoff walk to Garrett Mitchell, who took second on Cooper Pratt's sacrifice bunt and scored on Luis Lara's single to center.

After Joey Ortiz grounded out, the Brewers loaded the bases on a single by Jackson Churio and a walk by Turang. William Contreras flew out to right to end the inning, but the damage had been done. Alex Vesia relieved Skubal in the sixth inning.

"A leadoff walk just can't happen," said Skubal, who threw 81 pitches in five innings. "Leadoff walk in that inning and then you give them the ability to bunt the ball over. Then all they need is a base hit and they got it. I think I did a good job of limiting damage that inning, but the leadoff walk just can't happen. It gives them an opportunity to create something, and ultimately that's all they needed today."

Scattering two runs on five hits would be good enough in most games. But not against a team as opportunistic as the Brewers.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2 for the Dodgers, and he's about as good of a second option as there is. He's 8-1 in the postseason overall and has won his last five starts, including a 5-1 win over the Brewers in Game 2 of last year's NLCS.

But Yamamoto was supposed to be locking the door on Milwaukee after Skubal had closed it, not making sure the Dodgers don't head back to Los Angeles in an 0-2 hole.

"We feel good with our guy," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "You can't go into a long series against a team that has the best record in baseball and expect to just win four. It's going to be a long series. We knew it coming in. We had our chances, but they made plays, pitches when they needed to. We've just got to reset.

"We've got our guy going tomorrow, who we trust undoubtedly, and we've got to win a baseball game."

That's what the Dodgers thought about Skubal, too. Look what it got them.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers got Tarik Skubal for this moment. But Cy Young ace 'didn't do my job' | Opinion

The Dodgers dropped Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

The Brewers needed just two runs to beat the Dodgers Sunday. While two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal outlasted NL Cy Young candidate Jacob Misiorowski on the mound, the Dodgers offense managed just a single run.

But Freddie Freeman isn’t worried.

“Any loss in the playoffs is not great, but it’s a long series. It’s just the first game,” he said.

The Dodgers appear to have the edge in starting pitching, but Skubal’s five innings wasn’t enough to fend off the Brewers. Milwaukee won Game 1 and it could be argued the Dodgers didn’t exactly help themselves in the series opener.

The Dodgers were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Had LA capitalized on any one of those moments, the Dodgers likely would have won the game.

The back-to-back World Series champions are already putting the past behind them and have their sights set on Game 2.

“We got to focus on the task at hand, and that’s winning the game tomorrow,” Betts said.

The Dodgers deploy World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto as their Game 2 starter, giving them their best chance to take a game at American Family Field.

Unsurprisingly, in a battle of two aces, Jacob Misiorowski and Tarik Skubal, the expected NL Cy Young winner and the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner, runs were hard to come by in this pitchers’ duel. But ultimately, in Game 1 of the NLCS, the Brewers came out on top 2-1.

The Dodgers struck first against Misiorowski. Shohei Ohtani drew a leadoff walk, then Teoscar Hernandez singled. With one out, Andy Pages slapped a ground ball single through the right side to bring home Ohtani and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Misiorowski did not have his best stuff in this game. He hit 104 MPH once, but the vertical break on his fastball was down a couple inches and the command wasn’t there as he walked three on the night. Still, he battled and was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play to end that 2nd inning.

Then, drama.

In the 4th inning, Teoscar Hernandez danced a little too far off of first base, Misiorowski stepped off, spun around, and calmly threw to first to get Hernandez out, seemingly ending the inning. However, home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso called a balk on Misiorowski. Pat Murphy was emphatically upset at the call.

Misiorowski ended up striking out Kyle Tucker to end the inning, so no harm was truly done. Miz was emotional coming off the mound, and the Brewers appeared to have a fire lit under them after that. Immediately after, to leadoff the bottom of the 4th, Brice Turang slugged his first home run of the postseason.

OCTOBER BRICE BOMB ‼️ https://t.co/hTHNHzKUsVpic.twitter.com/sURnGSilex

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 12, 2026

That tied the game at 1-1 and cemented momentum in the Brewers favor.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to foul a ball off my knee again, so I was like I’m going to stay inside of this one. Not try to do too much, just drive back up the middle and get inside of it. Yeah, I just got it. Just trying to stay inside of it, drive it up the middle, and sometimes less is more.” Turang said.

The Brewers would keep it going in the 5th after Garrett Mitchell led off the inning with a walk, then was moved over on a sacrifice bunt from Cooper Pratt. That perfectly set up Luis Lara to give the Brewers the lead.

THE ROOKIE WITH A HUGE OCTOBER RIBBIE pic.twitter.com/KrjIXDgpyh

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 12, 2026

At just 21 years old and the youngest player on the team, Lara came through when his team needed him the most.

“(Lara) is very committed to team. He’s very committed to not letting his teammates down, and I think that’s what makes the guy special at this point. Both him and Pratt are up here not knowing they were going to be in the Big Leagues, and they are both very conscientious about getting it done the right way. They’re more concerned about not letting their teammates down than not letting a national audience down.” Murphy said.

“Really I was just looking to push the runner across. That was the only thing that was going through my mind. That’s what I’m focused on in that moment is just finding a way to connect, put the ball in play, and find a way for the run to score. Thanks to God I was able to do that.” Lara said.

The Brewers had an opportunity to bring in some insurance runs in that inning. Jackson Chourio followed with a single, then Brice Turang drew a walk, loading the bases with two outs for William Contreras. However, Contreras flew out to deep right to end the threat.

The Brewers had a few more chances to add on, but were unable to capitalize. Jake Bauers was picked off first by Alex Vesia in the 6th on what clearly should’ve been called a balk. Vesia’s stride was towards home and far beyond the 45 degree angle that’s allowed. Yet it was not called.

Then in the 8th, Chourio led things off with a single. The Dodgers then brought in $72MM reliever Tanner Scott and refused to allow him to face a single right-handed batter. They intentionally walked William Contreras to face Jake Bauers, and then intentionally walked Andrew Vaughn to face Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell grounded out to end the inning and leave it a 2-1 Brewers lead heading into the 9th.

Trevor Megill was called upon to lock things down once again, and he was able to deliver, albeit with a little bit of stress. After inducing an infield fly and a flyout, Megill walked the 8th and 9th hitters for the Dodgers to turn the lineup over to Mookie Betts. Betts flew out to deep center to end the game and Garrett Mitchell caught it and celebrated with an emphatic fist pump.

The Brewers will not be swept out of the NLCS this year. They have taken the 1-0 series lead and are now three wins away from reaching the World Series.

For the Brewers to accomplish their goal, they’ll need to win the games started by Misiorowski. They were able to accomplish that and have now set themselves up with a chance to take a 2-0 series lead with Game 2 on Monday afternoon. It’ll be Logan Henderson on the mound for the Crew while Brewers killer Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mound for the Dodgers.

MILWAUKEE –– Grading the performance of every Dodgers player from the 2-1 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series:

Mookie Betts: B

Hit a single in the third. Drew a walk in the fifth. And was denied another potential hit by Brice Turang to open the game. All in all, more good at-bats from the leadoff spot.

Freddie Freeman: C

Hit a trademark opposite-field single off Jacob Misiorowski in the first, but also a double-play grounder that ended the fifth inning four pitches after Misiorowski’s exit.

Will Smith: D

After an ugly 1-for-16 performance in the NLDS, Smith rolled into an inning-ending double-play in the first, then weakly flied out his next two times. He finally reached base with a walk in the eighth, but it might be time for him to move down in the lineup.

Shohei Ohtani: B

Drew a four-pitch walk in his first at-bat. Then sliced a looping single the other way in the sixth. Still doesn’t look like himself. But has reached safely in all five games this postseason.

Teoscar Hernández: B

Epitomized the Dodgers’ approach against Misiorowski with a pair of singles the other way early on. But didn’t do anything against a couple relievers. Not that he was alone on that.

Max Muncy: D

Had a sixth-inning single, but also struck out twice. Also booted a grounder at third that helped create a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, ultimately contributing to Tarik Skubal’s early exit from the game. 

Andy Pages: B

Drove in the game’s first run with an opposite-field single in the second. But left runners stranded on the corners in the sixth, whiffing on a 99 mph fastball from Abner Uribe.

Kyle Tucker: B

Worked an impressive 10-pitch walk in the Dodgers’ second-inning rally, then another free pass that briefly delayed defeat with two outs in the ninth. Struck out twice in between, though.

Kiké Hernández: D

Hit into first, and most costly, double-play of the night with the bases loaded in the second. Overall, finished 0-for-3 and also had some shaky moments at second base.

Josue De Paula: B+

Came off the bench again for a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth and drew a walk. Once again, an October moment wasn’t too big for him.

Tarik Skubal: C-

Was dominant early, striking out six of first nine batters (including three on three pitches). But gave up a home run to Brice Turang after falling behind in the count in the fourth. Then paid for a leadoff walk in the fifth, which allowed the Brewers to play some #BrewerBall (sac bunt, RBI single). First time in his playoff career he didn’t complete six innings.

Alex Vesia: B+

Walked the leadoff man in the sixth, but recovered by picking him off and striking out the next two batters.

Evan Phillips: B+

Struck out the side in the seventh in his first full inning of work this postseason. Then returned for the eighth but was quickly replaced after a leadoff single. Still, he has looked sharp so far this October.

Tanner Scott: A

Got out of an eighth-inning jam by retiring a couple lefties (amid Dave Roberts intentionally walking two righties to risk a bases-loaded jam).

Dave Roberts: B

His offense had the right approach, and he pressed the right buttons with his bullpen. But there was nothing he could do about the offense’s missed chances.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to rebound from the 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 11.

Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal spent more time on the mound in the battle with Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, but it was the runs that Skubal allowed that made the difference in the game. 

Skubal struck out seven and allowed five hits, but it was two earned runs against him that made the difference. Misiorowski pitched 4⅓ innings, allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out five.

The Brewers managed to overcome the early run scored by the Dodgers in the top of the second inning. Brice Turang hit a solo home run 384 feet into left center field in the fourth inning. Luis Lara followed it up with a single to center field in the bottom of the fifth that brought in Garrett Mitchell.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the Game 2 starter for the Dodgers. Logan Henderson will be on the mound for the Brewers. Here’s when they will play:

When is Dodgers vs Brewers Game 2? How to watch

• Time: 5 p.m. ET
• TV channel: Fox
• Live stream: Fubo and Fox One

Watch the MLB playoffs on Fubo

NLCS schedule for Dodgers vs Brewers

Sunday, Oct. 11

NLCS Game 1: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1

Monday, Oct. 12

NLCS Game 2: Dodgers at Brewers, 5 p.m. ET, Fox, FS1, Fox One & Fox Deportes

Wednesday, Oct. 14

NLCS Game 3: Brewers at Dodgers, 8 p.m. ET, FS1, Fox One & Fox Deportes

Thursday, Oct. 15

NLCS Game 4: Brewers at Dodgers, 9 p.m. ET, FS1, Fox One & Fox Deportes

Friday, Oct. 16

NLCS Game 5*: Brewers at Dodgers, 9 p.m. ET, FS1, Fox One & Fox Deportes

Sunday, Oct. 18

NLCS Game 6*: Dodgers at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET, FS1, Fox One & Fox Deportes

Monday, Oct. 19

NLCS Game 7*: Dodgers at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET, Fox, FS1, Fox One & Fox Deportes

(*if necessary)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brewers vs. Dodgers: When is NLCS Game 2?

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MILWAUKEE – The Dodgers have a fight on their hands.

In their 2-1 defeat to the Brewers at American Family Field on Sunday night, the Dodgers were shown what they’re in for in this National League Championship Series.

The Blue-Collar Brewers claimed Game 1 by doing what they did in their 103-win regular season.

They leveraged their bullpen.

They bunted the go-ahead runner into scoring position.

They played clean defense.

Here’s what they didn’t do: They didn’t roll over the way they did last year when the Dodgers swept them in four games at this stage of the postseason.

“You can’t go into a long series against a team that has the best record in baseball and expect to just win in four (games),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s going to be a long series. We knew it coming in.”

The Brewers played with an edge they didn’t have a year ago, the team’s attitude vocalized before the game by their manager and spirit animal, Pat Murphy.

Speaking about Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal, Murphy said, “I just want to step on his throat, do you know what I mean? I mean that respectfully because I really like Tarik, but I just want to beat him.”

Murphy was joking, but he wasn’t.

The Brewers didn’t exactly step on Skubal’s throat. What they did was more like pinch him into submission, as they tied the game on a Brice Turang homer in the fourth inning and moved ahead on a run they manufactured in the fifth.

Somehow, that was enough for them to win the game on a night in which the Dodgers were able to do to likely Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski what they did to Braves ace Chris Sale in the previous round.

The Dodgers ran up Misiorowski’s pitch count and forced him out of the game after just 4 ⅓ innings, but they couldn’t break the fireballer.

The second inning was the Dodgers’ most productive inning – but also the most frustrating.

Shohei Ohtani started the inning by drawing a four-pitch walk and advancing to second base on a single by Teoscar Hernández. He was driven in by another single, this one by Andy Pages. 

Kyle Tucker followed up with a 10-pitch walk to load the bases with one out, and that brought up Kiké Hernández, who worked a seven-pitch at-bat that ended with an inning-ending double play.

Misiorowski threw 35 pitches in that inning alone, but the Dodgers had only one run to show for it.

The Dodgers extracted a price for the defeat, however, as Misiorowski’s fifth-inning departure resulted in the Brewers using four relievers, including their best three.

“Hopefully in a long series it could prove to be beneficial the more times we see them,” Roberts said.

As dependent as the Brewers were on their bullpen in the regular season, they are even more so now.

Outside of Misiorowski, they have only one other pitcher capable of making traditional starts in the postseason, rookie Logan Henderson.

But the 24-year-old Henderson is by no means an old-school workhorse. In each of his last three regular-season starts, he pitched five innings. In his postseason debut against the San Diego Padres in the Divisional Round, he pitched five innings.

Beyond that, they have right-hander Dustin May and left-hander Robert Gasser. May lasted only three innings in his NLDS start. Gasser wasn’t much better, pitching four.

With the majority of the innings expected to be pitched by the bullpen, the Brewers were likely hoping to minimize the group’s exposure in a game started by Misirowski. The more their high-leverage relievers pitch, the more fatigued they will be later in the series and the more the Dodgers’ hitters will become familiar with them.

DL Hall finished the fifth inning, after which Murphy turned the game over to the Big Three of the Brewers’ bullpen.

Abner Uribe, the team’s second-best reliever, pitched the sixth. 

Aaron Ashby, who pitched the second-most relief innings in the majors during the regular season, covered the seventh and eighth.

Closer Trevor Megill took care of the ninth.

The Brewers will have to run this back three more times over the next eight days, which will be extraordinarily difficult against a team with as much experience and depth as the Dodgers.

Can the Brewers take this across the finish line?

Whether they can or not, they promise to scratch and claw until the final out of the series is recorded. The Dodgers know that.

“We didn’t necessarily expect a sweep,” Kiké Hernández said. “It’s gonna be a good series.”

A series that will probably end up back at American Family Field for Game 6, perhaps even Game 7.

First and foremost, the Dodgers wanted Tarik Skubal on their team. When they pursued him at the trade deadline, they saw him as the rare player who could improve their odds of winning a third straight World Series.

It didn’t hurt that by acquiring him they prevented other postseason contenders, including the Milwaukee Brewers, from landing the two-time Cy Young Award winner. The Dodgers guaranteed that they wouldn’t have to face him in October.

“I’m sure it’s in the back of your head, the teams that are interested,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sunday before the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. “Certainly not a driver, but not nothing either. As far as how happy I am, I am very happy it’s Skubal versus Miz and not Miz and Skubal [for the Brewers] in the next two.”

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers could be in big trouble if Brewers steal their October swagger

That sentiment rang even truer when the Dodgers dropped Game 1 at American Family Field, despite forcing “Miz” — Jacob Misiorowski, the NL Cy Young favorite — out of the game in just 4⅓ innings, and despite having Skubal, who struck out seven in five innings but gave up two runs in a fine effort, on their side.

“That’s our job, trying to get the starter, especially when you’re facing a guy like him, out of the game early,” said left fielder Teoscar Hernández, who logged two hits against Misiorowski. “I think we did a pretty good job, we just didn’t get the job done when we needed with guys in scoring position.”

The Dodgers hit into three inning-ending double plays in the first five innings and overall left nine men on base, going one for six with runners in scoring position.

In a role reversal, the Dodgers, who scored almost exclusively via the home run in the first round, pulled ahead with a pesky approach at the plate.

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani opened the second inning with a four-pitch walk. Then Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages hit opposite-field singles to move Ohtani around the bases and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Taking a similar “grind him out” approach to the one they deployed against Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale in Game 3 of the Division Series, the Dodgers forced Misiorowski to throw 35 pitches in the inning — 10 alone to Kyle Tucker, who worked a walk.

By the third inning, Misiorowski’s fastball velocity, which touched 104 mph, had dropped to double digits. And though the Dodgers didn’t score again against him, they continued to rack up his pitch count. By the time he exited with one out in the fifth, it was at 94.

The Brewers, known for their peskiness, instead tied the score with one swing against Skubal. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Brice Turang got the barrel of his bat to an inside sinker and lifted it over the fence in left-center, into the Brewers’ bullpen.

“A 2-0 sinker in, I mean, I’m going to live with that, left-on-left,” Skubal said. “He put a good swing on it. The first at-bat he broke his bat [on a similar pitch], ground ball.”

Though the Brewers have players who can hit home runs, they pulled ahead the next inning with a sequence more closely aligned with their identity.

Skubal walked Garrett Mitchell on five pitches. Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. And then Luis Lara sent a ground-ball single through the middle of the infield to drive in the go-ahead run.

“The leadoff walk just can’t happen,” Skubal said. “It gives them an opportunity to create something, and ultimately that’s all they needed today.”

Skubal battled traffic to get out of the inning without giving up another run. But in such a tight game, that marked the end of his start.

The American Family Field atmosphere added an extra charge to the close contest. The home crowd was perhaps its loudest (until an ear-splitting cheer at the final out) when it took issue with a balk call against Misiorowski. It looked as if he had picked off Hernández to end the fourth inning, but Hernández instead was awarded second base.

That play still was seared into their collective memory when Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia picked off Jake Bauers at first base. Brewers fans shouted “balk!” over and over.

The bullpens battled to a scoreless draw, the Dodgers’ last stand falling flat after Tucker and pinch-hitting rookie Josue De Paula drew a pair of two-out walks against Trevor Megill. Mookie Betts drove a deep fly ball to the warning track, momentarily silencing the crowd, until Mitchell closed his glove around it. So the edge the Brewers gained against Skubal held.

“You can’t go into a long series against a team that has the best record in baseball and expect to just win four,” Roberts said after the game. “It’s going to be a long series. We knew it coming in. We had our chances, but they made plays, pitches when they needed to. We’ve just got to reset. We’ve got our guy going [Monday], who we trust undoubtedly, and we’ve got to win a baseball game.”

Read more:Will Smith is in a slump, but benching him isn't an option for Dodgers

That guy is right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who last year threw a complete game at American Family Field in Game 2 of the NLCS.

The road doesn’t get much easier for the Dodgers’ offense Monday, when it’ll face right-hander Logan Henderson, who held the Dodgers to one run in seven innings when the Brewers came to Los Angeles in August. But imagine if instead the Brewers had outbid the Dodgers and they had to go through Skubal first.

“It would look really different,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. “What those guys do — they had the best record in baseball. Certainly when you’re talking about a seven-game series, to see Tarik on the other side … the series would look a lot different.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.