DODGER STADIUM (Los Angeles) – If the Brewers were looking for a boost of playoff confidence after getting swept by the Dodgers in last year’s National League Championship Series, taking three out of four from the reigning champs at Dodger Stadium might have provided it.
“I think it lets everybody in the clubhouse know that we can play with these guys,” said Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers, who reached base five times in Sunday’s finale.
The Milwaukee offense blitzed scuffling Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz for a comeback win Thursday before World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto provided some October flashbacks on Friday in a Dodgers win.
But the Brewers bounced back by holding the Dodgers’ slumbering bats at bay in the final two games. Jacob Misiorowski delivered a gem on Saturday and Logan Henderson out-dueled Dodgers deadline star addition Tarik Skubal on Sunday to take the season series, which could have postseason implications as both teams vie for a first-round bye.
“I really wanted to win this game because it could matter,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday. “But we didn’t. So now we’ve got to move forward, but I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us.”
The Brewers headed back to Milwaukee on Sunday night after taking three out of four at Dodger Stadium. (John McCoy/Getty Images)
Here are four takeaways from the Brewers’ series win:
Misiorowski considers last year’s postseason, during which he registered a 1.50 ERA and struck out nine batters in five innings of relief in his lone appearance of the NLCS against the Dodgers, “a real turning point” in his career.
Misiorowski took the confidence he gained from that experience into an overpowering 2026 season that has been one of the most dominant ever from a starting pitcher. On Saturday, the NL Cy Young frontrunner returned to Dodger Stadium for the first time since last postseason and held the Dodgers to one run over six innings, bringing his MLB-best ERA down to 1.75.
“I’ve never seen the first four pitches of a game, 104 [mph],” Roberts stated.
Misiorowski fired six straight fastballs to retire Shohei Ohtani to start out the sport. Ohtani acquired him again with an RBI triple within the third, the one run that he allowed.
Two innings later, Misiorowski confirmed his maturity since his breakout rookie 12 months.
He’s now not only a onerous thrower, as evidenced by his Houdini act within the fifth inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Misiorowski struck out each Ohtani and Freddie Freeman on sliders to flee. He informed me it was the very best his slider has ever felt and credited catcher William Contreras for making that adjustment.
In three profession appearances in opposition to the Dodgers, together with final 12 months’s playoffs, Misiorowski has a 1.59 ERA with 27 strikeouts and three walks.
“He’s simply matured tremendously,” Contreras stated via an interpreter. “Final 12 months, he was just a little bit extra centered on simply throwing the ball onerous. This 12 months, he’s coming into the day with a recreation plan. He is aware of what he needs to do.”
2.
It’s the ninth inning throughout Dodgers dwelling video games when the house workforce is forward, the lights flash and the sounds of trumpets fill the air as Díaz emerges from the house bullpen.
It’s the precise situation the Dodgers dreamed about once they gave Díaz $69 million this offseason …proper up till he takes the ball.
The three-time All-Star nearer has been largely unrecognizable this 12 months, significantly since coming back from his three-month hiatus after present process an elbow process. He’s struggling to command his fastball, which opponents are hitting .379 in opposition to. His slider isn’t lacking bats, both. General, Díaz is producing the best stroll charge and lowest strike charge of his profession, resulting in an ERA over 10.00 via 15 outings as a Dodger.
Garrett Mitchell and the Brewers added to Edwin Díaz’s woes on Thursday. (Harry How/Getty Photographs)
Díaz had blown two of his final three save alternatives when he was known as upon to protect a two-run lead within the ninth inning in Thursday’s opener in opposition to the Brewers. A strikeout to start out the ninth appeared auspicious. It was a pink herring. 4 straight singles adopted, giving him his third blown save over his final 4 appearances.
Up to now, it has not value him his function.
“I do know I’m struggling, so I need to do the very best factor for our workforce,” Díaz stated. “On the finish of the day, if they provide me the ball within the ninth, I’ll attempt to do my job. If they provide me the ball in one other inning, I’ll attempt to do my job.”
Roberts, who stated Díaz wants “a runway to search out his method,” went again to his maligned nearer on Friday. It was not fairly. Díaz loaded the bases on two walks and a hit-by-pitch, however a game-ending groundout preserved the save with no injury accomplished. In that respect, it marked progress. He believes he’s trending in the best course.
Earlier than that Friday outing, Díaz started to make some changes to his posture to attempt to get his momentum going straight to dwelling plate. His pitching coaches additionally identified to him that his arm slot has dropped from final 12 months.
“Simply attempt to raise it just a little bit extra,” Díaz informed me. “I’m not that distant from the place I used to be final 12 months.”
3.
Requested after Thursday’s recreation if he may go one other course within the ninth, Roberts shot again emphatically.
“Give me an alternative choice,” Roberts stated. “I’ve to produce other choices. And to be fairly trustworthy, none of these guys actually are throwing the baseball nice.”
Whereas left-hander Tanner Scott would appear to be the obvious selection, the Dodgers’ aid struggles transcend their scuffling nearer. Courting again to the beginning of July, their bullpen ranks within the backside 10 in ERA. It’s most likely not a coincidence that it’s additionally across the time that Ohtani stopped pitching whereas nursing his sore knee.
The Dodgers haven’t been in a position to carry an additional pitcher the best way they will when Ohtani is energetic on the mound (since two-way gamers don’t rely in opposition to a workforce’s 13-pitcher roster restrict). As well as, they’ve maintained their six-man rotation even after limiting Ohtani to one-way duties, which implies working with a seven-man bullpen.
Los Angeles can survive that method when off days are in-built, however it may be taxing in stretches just like the one it is in, the place it has performed 18 video games over 19 days with few blowout wins or losses combined in. That has meant pushing their prime leverage arms extra usually than they want, all whereas being with out right-handers Blake Treinen, Brock Stewart and Will Klein within the ‘pen.
Dodgers relievers surrendered 4 extra runs (two earned) in Sunday’s loss, with the protection providing little assist behind them. They’ll get a bit extra protection going ahead, with lefty starter Justin Wrobleski going to the injured record and an eighth bullpen arm getting known as up.
“Once you’re pitching in scorching spots each evening — it looks as if each outing for our relievers has been a leverage scenario — I believe that makes it harder,” Roberts stated. “Margins are smaller. So, I believe that we’ve acquired to search out methods to sort of give them just a little little bit of margin, too.”
That will require hitting, which the Dodgers haven’t accomplished a lot of recently …
4.
The Dodgers are actually 18-21 for the reason that begin of July. Their offense ranks within the backside 10 in baseball in OPS over that stretch, and it hasn’t turned a nook in August.
“I simply don’t see the constant plan of assault, one via 9,” Roberts stated. “This has been 4, 5, six weeks of below-average manufacturing from our offense.”
Brewers vs Dodgers Highlights From Sunday ⚾️ MLB on FOX
It hasn’t helped that outfielder Kyle Tucker, who’s making $60 million this 12 months, stays a below-league-average hitter. His home-road splits are significantly confounding. He has regarded largely like himself on the street, the place he has an .840 OPS.
At Dodger Stadium, in the meantime, he has been one of many worst certified hitters in baseball. Roberts stated he can see the frustration constructing, sufficient in order that Tucker was given Saturday’s recreation off in opposition to Misiorowski.
“Simply sort of reactions to at-bats, whether or not it’s the primary at-bat of the sport, and also you’re actually displaying emotion – that’s a inform from a man who doesn’t present quite a lot of emotion,” Roberts informed me. “So, these issues, as they construct up for me that tells me that you could watch a baseball recreation and sort of take a few of that frustration, put it to the facet.”
Kyle Tucker’s woes crept into the sector on Sunday, when he misplayed a fly ball within the ninth inning. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Instances through Getty Photographs)
On the Dodgers’ newest street journey, Tucker went 8-for-22 with two homers and a triple. Then he returned dwelling and instantly regressed, going hitless in 19 at-bats this homestand. To make issues worse, he additionally dropped a fly ball in opposition to the wall within the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss, a blunder that was met by boos.
The Dodgers’ offensive struggles lengthen additional. Shortstop Mookie Betts has proven optimistic indicators recently however stays a below-league-average hitter on the 12 months. First baseman Freddie Freeman doesn’t have an extra-base hit in August, and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and second baseman Tommy Edman have each struggled this month.
The Dodgers have additionally grounded into extra double performs than any workforce in baseball, one instance of their growing old roster. They added two extra of these to their docket on Sunday, together with a very expensive one when Ohtani stepped to the plate with runners on the corners representing the tying run within the eighth inning Sunday.
They scored simply 10 runs over the four-game sequence and are averaging 3.33 runs per recreation in August.
