Dodgers and Brewers Set for High-Stakes Showdown: Who Will Edge Ahead?

Yesterday was one for the ages — hockey, double the Monday Night Football thrills, two baseball playoff clashes, and a slice of preseason hoops all packed into one wild sports buffet. But today? It’s like the calm after the storm — quieter, sure, but no less crucial. We scored a little win on the Dodgers-Brewers showdown yesterday, so why not double down and see if Game 2 serves up another? The Dodgers snagged the opener 2-1, after a nail-biting ninth that had the Brewers threatening to snatch victory right out of their gloves. Moments like Bryce Turang’s lightning-quick dodge of a near-hit pitch and an almost unbelievable double play remind us that baseball is as unpredictable as it gets. With pitching duels set to headline tonight — Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Freddy Peralta — the question isn’t just who’ll win, but will the scoreboard stay tame or explode? I’m leaning toward the under again, but hey, that’s the beauty of this series: anything can happen when giants clash. LEARN MORE

Dodgers vs. Brewers, Game 2, 8:08 ET

We had a jam-packed sports day yesterday, but today gets a bit quieter. There were hockey games on all day. There was not just one, but two, NFL games on Monday Night Football. And, we had two baseball playoff games yesterday. Sprinkle in a bit of preseason basketball, and we had all four big four sports delivering some action for us yesterday. We were able to get a victory on our play between the Dodgers and Brewers yesterday, so let’s go back to it and get another unit here in Game 2.

The Dodgers took the opener and I predicted that it would be a final of 3-1. Instead, it was a Dodgers victory of 2-1. They did try and blow the game, allowing Milwaukee to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but they escaped. I want to talk about a couple of moments that we had in yesterday’s game. I mentioned the bottom of the ninth, and the Brewers had an opportunity to tie or win the game. The Brewers mounted their only real threat in that frame after Blake Snell was finally removed after eight brilliant innings. Bryce Turang was at the dish and had a 1-2 count. Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen threw a sweeper that Turang dodged. So many people are online saying that they can’t believe he didn’t let it hit him. While it would’ve hit him, and tied the game, I can’t sit here and say it was his fault. Things are moving so fast, the natural reaction is to move out of the way on that pitch. Unfortunately, he knew it was a mistake (if you can really call it that, I call it a natural reaction). The very next pitch he was probably thinking about it and struck out. The other play was the double play that is unlikely to ever happen again. The Dodgers had bases loaded with one out, Max Muncy hits a bomb to centerfield. It hits off the fielder’s glove, then the wall. The umpire simply signaled safe. The Dodgers apparently headed too far and had to head back to tag up. The Brewers got the ball from center, to short, to home before the Dodgers slid into the plate. They got a force out because that was a hit for Muncy. Then the Brewers tagged third base, and boom, double play. The Dodgers need to be better on the bases there, but it was a play that went the Brewers way that will likely never happen again. A lot of times things balance out.

The focus of last night, in addition to those two things I just mentioned, should be on the pitching. Snell was phenomenal and honestly, I probably would’ve let him go the ninth inning if I were Dave Roberts. I do get it, he was at 103 pitches, but he was absolutely dealing. Quinn Priester, whom I’m a bit surprised they don’t just let start, went four innings and was great as well. The Dodgers, in general, didn’t get their offense going either. Although they have a great offense, they’ve shown signs of severe droughts of scoring. I could see that being their downfall in this series. Today they turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to give them a commanding 2-0 lead. Yamamoto was one of the best pitchers in the league this season. In two postseason starts, he has gone 10.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on 10 total hits and three walks. He was significantly sharper against the Reds than the Phillies, but he is on full rest here and should be ready to mop up a bunch of innings. He was better on the road this season than at home as well, so comfort shouldn’t be a factor. One cause of concern should be that he had his worst start of the season against the Brewers in Milwaukee. He went just two-thirds of an inning and allowed five runs, three earned. Combating Yamamoto is Freddy Peralta, a guy who is on the verge of a big payday. Peralta also had a phenomenal season in his own right. However, his postseason hasn’t been quite as impressive, going 9.2 innings and allowing five earned runs. He faced the Dodgers twice this season, allowing four earned runs over 11 innings. He did go six scoreless in his home start against them.

This is another game that I just don’t see the offenses going nuts. We have two very strong pitchers on the mound, both likely to go fairly deep in the game unless they give up a bunch of hits or runs. I just don’t see that happening. I’m going to once again back the under as I think the game will see few crooked numbers. This really could be anyone’s game though, so no play on the side for me.

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