On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers met for the first time since Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series.
Although the Dodgers swept the postseason matchup, their losing streak against the Brewers in the regular season was extended to nine games.
Before series opener at American Family Field, manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers were going into the weekend expecting an intense matchup on the heels of a previous playoff-esque three-game series against the San Diego Padres. He praised the Brewers’ style of play, noting that they’ve been overlooked so far in 2026.
“I think it’s going to be a different series. Yeah, it’s going to be intense, which we expected. It’s a really good team. I don’t think people appreciate how well this team plays baseball,” Roberts said on SportsNet LA. “There’s not a lot of fanfare as far as the name recognition, but the way Pat Murphy gets these guys to play, it’s a fun brand of baseball.
“They don’t strike out much, they put the ball in play, they bunt, they hit-and-run, they steal bases, they play defense, they can pitch. So yeah, it’s a good matchup. Last year, during the regular season, we couldn’t beat these guys once. So I expect us to just play better baseball this year.”
The Brewers entered this series against L.A. atop the NL Central standings after their three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
Milwaukee hovered around .500 through their first 30 games, but the team has hit their stride with a 12-2 record in their last 14 games.
Roberts said this year’s Brewers team is comparable to 2025 roster the Dodgers saw in the NLCS.
“Very similar,” he began. “They don’t have (Freddy) Peralta leading their staff, but I think on the position-player side, it’s a very similar attack of how they score runs, how they manufacture. It’s just a gritty, grindy team.”
Even without last year’s ace, the Brewers’ rotation has been phenomenal. Last season’s breakout starter, Jacob Misiorowski, has continued his ascent up the league’s hierarchy. And Kyle Harrison has come into his own since being acquired from the Boston Red Sox.
The bullpen has also been high quality, giving Milwaukee a top-five pitching staff in all of baseball.
With the Brewers taking home the victory in Friday’s game, the Dodgers will be hoping to repeat what they did against the Padres and close out the series on a high note behind consecutive wins.
Dave Roberts: Dodgers will preserve through pitching injuries
Tyler Glasnow (back spasms), Brock Stewart (bone spur in left foot) and Blake Snell (loose bodies in left elbow) have all landed on the 15-day injured list in recent weeks. They join existing casualties like Brusdar Graterol, Edwin Díaz, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller.
Roberts is confident the team will navigate their way through adversity as they always have.
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