The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken a dominant 2-0 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), moving the best-of-seven series to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for Game Three on Thursday. The winner of this series will advance to the World Series.
The Dodgers, defending World Series champions, are now just two wins away from clinching the pennant and have been on a dominant playoff run, while the Brewers had the best regular-season record in the National League. The starting pitching has been a crucial factor for the Dodgers. Blake Snell opened the series with eight shutout innings, allowing only one hit, in a 2-1 Game One victory.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto followed with the first complete game in the postseason since 2017 in a 5-1 Game Two win. He allowed only three hits and one run, which came on a lead-off home run in the first inning. This dominant pitching has held the Brewers’ offense to a mere five hits and two runs through the first two games.
“Yamamoto pitched really good this game, he was pretty consistent this game, but sometimes he doesn’t do well,” student Adrian Briseno from Eleanor Roosevelt High School shared.
On the other end, the Brewers’ hitters have struggled, looking overmatched and chasing pitches more than they have all season, according to Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy. In Game Three, the Dodgers will send right-hander Tyler Glasnow to the mound. Glasnow has a strong track record against the Brewers, having held them to one earned run over 11 innings in two starts this season, though the Dodgers lost both games.
Pat Murphy also pitched effectively in the NL Division Series, allowing just two hits over seven 2/3 scoreless innings in the series clincher. The Brewers had not yet named a starting pitcher for Game Three as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Oh Pat Murphy did good this game, and it was pretty clean all the way through,” said another ERHS student, when asked their opinion on Murphy’s pitching.
Overall, the Dodgers are in a commanding position as history favors teams that win the first two games on the road in a best-of-seven series, with an 88.9% chance of winning the series. The Brewers face an uphill battle, needing to win at least one of the next two games in Los Angeles to bring the series back to Milwaukee for a possible Game Five or Six.
