The Brewers are back in the NLCS, with a familiar opponent looming.
Seven years later, Milwaukee will host Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday (8:08 p.m. ET on FOX).
The Brewers are vying for their first pennant since 1982, which also marks the franchise’s only appearance in the Fall Classic. They are one of five teams without a World Series championship, a dubious distinction which, of course, the Dodgers don’t know much about. L.A. is still humming in its title defense, having won consecutive playoff series to kickstart another deep foray through October.
We asked a number of MLB.com experts to make their predictions on how the NLCS will unfold. Check out their picks for the series below.
Dodgers (No. 3 seed) vs. Brewers (No. 1 seed)
The pick: Dodgers (21 of 26 votes, 81%)
Befitting a team that calls Hollywood home, the Dodgers are loaded with stars. That’s nothing new. Star power — from Shohei Ohtani to Freddie Freeman — propelled L.A. to a World Series title last year.
What is new, however, is that the Dodgers are capable of winning games in spite of their offense (which, it should be noted, still ranked second in the Majors in runs per game). L.A.’s starting rotation closed the regular season on a historic run, and the unit hasn’t looked back since.
The NLCS matchup presents a different kind of challenge. The Brewers may not tout many household names, but they won 97 games in the regular season, including all six head-to-head meetings with the Dodgers. They scored the third-most runs in the Majors, doing so in relentless fashion, capitalizing on every small mistake by their opponent. Not to mention, Pat Murphy’s team is brimming with confidence, having exorcised longstanding playoff demons in the NLDS.
Series predictions
Dodgers (6 games): 11 votes
Dodgers (5 games): 6 votes
Dodgers (7 games): 4 votes
Brewers (7 games): 3 votes
Brewers (6 games): 2 votes
Who will be named NLCS MVP?
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 5 votes
Mookie Betts (LAD): 4 votes
Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 3 votes
Roki Sasaki (LAD): 3 votes
Freddie Freeman (LAD): 2 votes
William Contreras (MIL): 2 votes
Blake Snell (LAD): 1 vote
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD): 1 vote
Tyler Glasnow (LAD): 1 vote
Kiké Hernández (LAD): 1 vote
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 1 vote
Christian Yelich (MIL): 1 vote
Brice Turang (MIL): 1 vote
While the vast majority of our experts think the Dodgers will win the NLCS, the topic of NLCS Most Valuable Player inspired more of a debate. Nine L.A. players received votes, ranging from relief ace Roki Sasaki to postseason legend Kiké Hernández. In the end, Ohtani leads the field.
Since launching two home runs in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, Ohtani is just 2-for-22 in his second postseason. He had just one hit in the NLDS, stymied by the Phillies’ swarm of tough left-handers. On paper, the two-way star should have a more favorable matchup against a Brewers team that is more reliant on righties. Not to mention, Ohtani could be positioned to make multiple starts on the mound, after earning a win in his postseason pitching debut in Game 1 of the NLDS.
“He’ll wake up after a relatively quiet NLDS in a big way,” said club reporter Martín Gallegos.
Four Brewers received votes, with William Contreras the only player to receive multiple tallies.
