The Dodgers vs. Brewers series opened Thursday at Dodger Stadium, bringing together baseball's two best teams for a four-game set. According to MLB.com, both clubs are chasing a first-round bye. The season series between them counts as one of the tiebreakers that could decide playoff positioning if the race stays tight down the stretch.
Both teams arrive hoping to shake off recent stumbles. The New York Post reported that the Dodgers had been swept by the Red Sox and the Cubs. They also dropped a series to the Diamondbacks before bouncing back with a sweep of the Royals. Despite that turnaround, the Post noted the Dodgers rank just 20th in weighted runs created plus for August. That stat signals an offense that has been inconsistent even as results have improved.
The Brewers, meanwhile, arrived in Los Angeles after being swept by the Padres. They had lost four of their last six games. Milwaukee managed only seven total runs across the San Diego series, per the Post. The team's pitching staff has largely carried the club through that offensive slump.
Los Angeles will be without some clarity at the top of its lineup. Freddie Freeman took a scary tumble into the visiting dugout on Wednesday. He was considered day-to-day entering the series, the Post reported. In his potential absence, the Dodgers are leaning on a red-hot trio of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker. That group is expected to carry the offensive load against a Milwaukee pitching staff that has been stingy all year.
Yamamoto Looks To Extend Mastery Over Milwaukee
The pitching matchup drawing the most attention centers on Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He was set to start Friday's game, the second contest of the series. According to MLB.com, Yamamoto has been dominant against the Brewers in his two most recent meetings with them. Last October, in the National League Championship Series, Yamamoto delivered what MLB.com called an iconic performance. He threw a complete game in Game 2 at American Family Field as the Dodgers swept Milwaukee in four games en route to the pennant. The next time he faced the Brewers, on May 24 in Milwaukee, Yamamoto tossed seven innings of one-run ball. That outing helped Los Angeles win two of three games in that series.
Yamamoto has carried that form into the heart of this season. MLB.com reported that the Dodgers have won three of his last four starts. During that stretch he has posted a 1.88 ERA, allowing just six earned runs in 28 2/3 innings. Stretching back further, Yamamoto owns a 2.12 ERA across 13 starts dating to May 18. That mark ranks third among all Major League pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched in that span. Even pitching alongside a loaded Dodgers rotation that includes Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell, MLB.com noted that Yamamoto is considered the staff's ace. Los Angeles is counting on him to set the tone in a series that carries unusual weight for a regular-season matchup in August.
An All-Star Duel Awaits on National Television
The Dodgers vs. Brewers series was set to shift to a national audience on Saturday afternoon. Fox will broadcast the game, which features a marquee pitching matchup, according to Yahoo Sports. Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski enters as the National League Cy Young Award favorite. He leads all of baseball in ERA at 1.76, in expected ERA at 1.93, in strikeouts with 204, in strikeout rate at 40.6 percent, and in strikeout-minus-walk rate at 34.6 percent, per Yahoo Sports. He was slated to face Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who has struggled of late. Yahoo Sports reported that Wrobleski has allowed nine home runs and 16 runs, 15 of them earned, over his last three starts spanning just 13 2/3 innings. He is searching for a turnaround against one of the league's toughest lineups to solve.
Saturday's broadcast was scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. first pitch at Dodger Stadium. Joe Davis will call the game for Fox, joined by John Smoltz in the booth, with Ken Rosenthal reporting from the field, according to Yahoo Sports. Fans can also follow the game on AM 570 in English or KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish.
A Rematch With October Stakes
The four-game set carries extra resonance given the history between these two franchises. The Dodgers and Brewers met in last year's NL Championship Series, where Los Angeles completed a four-game sweep behind Yamamoto's complete-game gem, according to MLB.com. That series propelled the Dodgers toward their eventual World Series run. Milwaukee has spent the better part of a year looking to close the gap.
Now, with both teams again positioned among the sport's elite, this August Dodgers vs. Brewers series doubles as an early measuring stick for a potential rematch in October. The tiebreaker implications tied to the season series only heighten the stakes. That is especially true for a Brewers club that has leaned heavily on pitching depth, led by Misiorowski's historic season, to offset stretches of offensive inconsistency. For the Dodgers, the series represents a chance to reassert their status atop the National League after a bumpy stretch in August. Betts, Ohtani and Tucker are expected to shoulder more of the offensive burden if Freeman's injury keeps him out of the lineup.
With Yamamoto's track record against Milwaukee, Misiorowski's Cy Young-caliber season, and playoff seeding on the line, the Dodgers vs. Brewers series gives both front offices a clear look at how their rosters stack up. It may preview the team most likely to stand between them and a return trip to the World Series.
