The Milwaukee Brewers opened the Championship Series with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field, snapping a seven-game postseason losing streak against their National League rivals. MK Sports reported that the Tuesday matchup handed Milwaukee an early edge in the series while putting the defending World Series contenders on the back foot.
Dodgers Strike First Before Double Plays Stall Offense
Los Angeles manufactured the game’s opening run in the top of the second inning. With one out and runners on first and third, Andy Pages delivered a right-field single that brought Shohei Ohtani home from third base. The Dodgers maintained pressure by drawing a walk to load the bases, but Enrique Hernández grounded into a double play to end the threat.
Double plays routinely stalled the Dodgers throughout the afternoon. Will Smith hit into a double play in the first inning with one on and one out, and Freddie Freeman suffered the same fate in the fifth. Dodgers hitters struggled to string together hits against a relentless Milwaukee bullpen.
Brewers Answer with Power and Small Ball
Milwaukee relied on disciplined situational hitting and long balls to overturn the deficit. Brice Turang tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning by launching a solo home run over the left-center field wall. The Brewers took the lead for good in the fifth after Garrett Mitchell drew a leadoff walk, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Cooper Pratt, and scored on a center-field single by Luis Lara.
Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski labored through 4.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out five batters. He ran up his pitch count early after walking Ohtani in the second. In the fourth inning, umpires called Misiorowski for a balk after spotting a subtle movement in his left foot during a pickoff attempt at first base against Teoscar Hernández. Despite the subsequent runner-up traffic, Misiorowski escaped further damage by striking out Kyle Tucker.
Bullpens Exchange Scoreless Frames Down the Stretch
Los Angeles starter Tarik Skubal surrendered two runs over five innings, striking out seven batters while walking two and giving up one home run. Skubal held Milwaukee scoreless through the first three frames before yielding the tying and go-ahead runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Relief pitching proved airtight for both sides in the later innings. Aaron Ashby delivered two scoreless frames for Milwaukee in the seventh, striking out one and walking one. Closer Trevor Megill ran into turbulence in the ninth after issuing two two-out walks, but he secured the final out by catching Mookie Betts on a fly ball to center field.
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