2028 NLCS Preview: Dodgers vs Brewers
Aug 20, 2022 9:32:26 GMT -5
Commissioner Erick, Grubs - Philly, and 1 more like this
Post by mikereds on Aug 20, 2022 9:32:26 GMT -5
The sweat has barely dried for the Dodgers and the Brewers from the NLDS round, but rapidly we move onto the NLCS. Both series went the full seven games and offered a lot of excitement. The Brewers managed to survive their 10-inning scare versus the Giants as Greg Jacks and Luis Rivera put together clutch hits to deliver the win. The Dodgers were in a 4-4 stalemate with the Phillies for most of game seven, but managed to post two runs in the bottom of the 8th and held on to that lead with Ismael Robles recording the save.
Milwaukee will enjoy home field advantage throughout this postseason due to their 115 win regular season record. And if the last series is any indication, they'll likely need it. They won all their games at home, and lost their three games in San Francisco. A loaded team like Milwaukee theoretically should be mowing through teams with ease in the playoffs. But postseason baseball has a habit of defying logical convention.
Mike "Hawkeye" Arnold pitched impressively versus the Giants and recorded 3 wins in the series, the last one coming in relief in game 7. With him and Tim Kierstead still tired from the Giants series, it will be interesting to see who manager Louis Grimmelbein will turn to to start game 1 versus the Dodgers. It could also be risky to see Arnold or Kierstead start in game 2 due to rest needed. But at least the bullpen has not been over-exerted and should be good to go.
For the Dodgers, their top starters the "Rodriguez Twins" (Eduardo and Grayson) should be good to start Game 1 and 2 respectively. Thus LA might be in good shape to steal a win on the road to put the pressure on the Brewers. But holding the Brewers potent lineup in check is easier said than done, and the LA arms and gloves will need to be ready for the challenge.
The Dodgers bats will also need to wake up in order to have a chance verus Milwaukee. The Dodgers hit plenty of homers against the Phillies but that total will likely shrink when they face Brewers pitching. Shortstop Nick Allen hit .500 in four games and scored 5 runs in the NLDS. He may have earned himself more playing time in this series, especially if manager Ben Vincent feels they need to play more smallball to win. 1B Federic Pando homered in his last two games with 4 RBI's, so he may be starting to get hot as well.
But the biggest factor in this series is Milwaukee's bats, and I think the fate of this series rests on what they will produce. Leadoff man Danny Tammaro seems to be one of the few Brewers hitters in a groove. The rest of the lineup is looking unusually mortal based on the end of the 2028 regular season and the NLDS results. A team with a +354 run differential should surely be generating more offense. Greg Jacks had only one extra base hit, a double, in the NLDS. Rodolfo Rivera, who powered the Brewers with 48 homers during the regular season, only managed 1 HR and 1 RBI against the Giants. Danger could be ahead if the Brewers don't start slugging soon.
Summary and prediction:
The Dodgers faced the Brewers 7 times in the regular season. The Brewers won the season series 4-3, with the home team winning in all cases. Will this regular season series essentially repeat itself in the postseason? Seems possible, but you'd think at some point one team would assert itself a little and get an upper hand. Game 7 heroics aside, Milwaukee seems like they are in a bit of a funk lately. They lost 8 of their last 10 games to finish the season, the NLDS was a nip-and-tuck affair, and I'm not sure when the more dominant version of the Brewers will show up again. The pressure to repeat in the PBA, which LA knows a thing or two about, could be setting in for the Brewers. Thus I'm picking Los Angeles to win in 6.
Milwaukee will enjoy home field advantage throughout this postseason due to their 115 win regular season record. And if the last series is any indication, they'll likely need it. They won all their games at home, and lost their three games in San Francisco. A loaded team like Milwaukee theoretically should be mowing through teams with ease in the playoffs. But postseason baseball has a habit of defying logical convention.
Mike "Hawkeye" Arnold pitched impressively versus the Giants and recorded 3 wins in the series, the last one coming in relief in game 7. With him and Tim Kierstead still tired from the Giants series, it will be interesting to see who manager Louis Grimmelbein will turn to to start game 1 versus the Dodgers. It could also be risky to see Arnold or Kierstead start in game 2 due to rest needed. But at least the bullpen has not been over-exerted and should be good to go.
For the Dodgers, their top starters the "Rodriguez Twins" (Eduardo and Grayson) should be good to start Game 1 and 2 respectively. Thus LA might be in good shape to steal a win on the road to put the pressure on the Brewers. But holding the Brewers potent lineup in check is easier said than done, and the LA arms and gloves will need to be ready for the challenge.
The Dodgers bats will also need to wake up in order to have a chance verus Milwaukee. The Dodgers hit plenty of homers against the Phillies but that total will likely shrink when they face Brewers pitching. Shortstop Nick Allen hit .500 in four games and scored 5 runs in the NLDS. He may have earned himself more playing time in this series, especially if manager Ben Vincent feels they need to play more smallball to win. 1B Federic Pando homered in his last two games with 4 RBI's, so he may be starting to get hot as well.
But the biggest factor in this series is Milwaukee's bats, and I think the fate of this series rests on what they will produce. Leadoff man Danny Tammaro seems to be one of the few Brewers hitters in a groove. The rest of the lineup is looking unusually mortal based on the end of the 2028 regular season and the NLDS results. A team with a +354 run differential should surely be generating more offense. Greg Jacks had only one extra base hit, a double, in the NLDS. Rodolfo Rivera, who powered the Brewers with 48 homers during the regular season, only managed 1 HR and 1 RBI against the Giants. Danger could be ahead if the Brewers don't start slugging soon.
Summary and prediction:
The Dodgers faced the Brewers 7 times in the regular season. The Brewers won the season series 4-3, with the home team winning in all cases. Will this regular season series essentially repeat itself in the postseason? Seems possible, but you'd think at some point one team would assert itself a little and get an upper hand. Game 7 heroics aside, Milwaukee seems like they are in a bit of a funk lately. They lost 8 of their last 10 games to finish the season, the NLDS was a nip-and-tuck affair, and I'm not sure when the more dominant version of the Brewers will show up again. The pressure to repeat in the PBA, which LA knows a thing or two about, could be setting in for the Brewers. Thus I'm picking Los Angeles to win in 6.