Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy had a clear message ahead of his team's postseason rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two teams also met in last year's NLCS, with the Dodgers walking all over Milwaukee to sweep the No. 1 seed in four games. Now, though, Murphy things things will play out differently.
"That doesn’t guarantee anything but we got to be ready for what they say is the best team in baseball, but we think we are. We’re going to do our best to stay with them and beat them in 7 games.” The Brewers have definitely improved since last year's postseason, as some of their best players took another step forward in 2026. Jackson Chourio, now in his third MLB season, had an .837 OPS through 127 games in the regular season, hitting 25 homers while driving in 75 runs.
Jacob Misiorowski also took a leap this season, posting an MLB-leading 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts on the year which will likely earn him the NL's Cy Young award for the 2026 season. The Brewers were the best team in MLB during the regular season, winning a franchise-record 103 games, but their postseason inconsistencies may cost them against a seasoned Dodgers team. Prior to their series-clinching win against the Padres on Wednesday, the Brewers had lost each of their prior 12 postseason games on the road—a streak spanning back to 2018.
Despite their higher seeding, the Brewers are the underdogs heading into their series against LA and have a lot to prove when it comes to competing with the Dodgers. They have a good shot at taking an early advantage in the series, as they'll have Misiorowski make his second appearance of the postseason in the first game of the series. Behind their ace, the Brewers will look to take a 1-0 series lead at home—setting the tone for the remainder of the set as they look for their first World Series title.
Game 1 of the NLCS begins Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
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