Brice Turang, Jacob Misiorowski, and the Milwaukee Brewers can officially say they did what last year’s team never did: defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in a playoff game.
Despite Misiorowski failing to make it past the fifth inning, the Brewers rode a nearly flawless bullpen outing to a 2-1 victory in Sunday's NLCS opener. Turang hit a game-tying solo homer in the fourth inning, and rookie outfielder Luis Lara had the game-winning single an inning later.
Considering that the Brewers finished with a league-leading 103 wins, we already knew they were an imposing postseason threat. But their NLCS-opening victory proved not only that Pat Murphy’s squad is for real, but also that the Brew Crew may truly have the upper hand on an exhausted Dodgers team.
The Milwaukee Brewers can win in spite of All-Star pitcher Jacob Misiorowski
Considering that Misiorowski is widely expected to win the NL Cy Young Award, this might sound like an incredibly egregious take. But at least hear us out.
No one is disputing that Misiorowski had a phenomenal season, and his electric velocity made him must-see TV (or streaming) every fifth day. But the knock against him, and rightfully so, is that he averaged less than six innings per start; a major reason why we endorsed the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez as a Cy Young candidate is because Misiorowski has only pitched into the seventh once since Aug. 9.
Call us old-fashioned, but we’re typically skeptical of teams winning a championship when their ace rarely works deep into games — unless, of course, the rest of their roster is as consistently reliable as the Brewers’.
Not even a lineup switch can save the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani
Whether it’s his knee or something far deeper, it’s readily becoming apparent that the Dodgers cannot currently trust Ohtani to perform at a high level. The four-time MVP went 1-for-3 with a walk on Sunday night, though his playoff OPS sits at .503 through 20 postseason plate appearances. He’s yet to record an extra-base hit or RBI, and he’s gone nearly 150 plate appearances without a home run.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts obviously won’t bench his two-way superstar, and we’re skeptical Ohtani will hit lower than fifth. But if you’re still holding out hope in the Japanese import carrying the two-time defending champions on his back, we suggest you direct your optimism elsewhere.
Brice Turang remains arguably Major League Baseball’s most underappreciated player
Common sense suggests that a player with 17.6 bWAR and a .760 OPS since the start of 2024 would be a household name and a perennial All-Star. Yet Turang’s only hardware is a 2024 Gold Glove, and he was surprisingly snubbed from the Midsummer Classic this past July.
Turang stepped up in Game 1, drawing a walk and helping turn three double plays. He looked far more comfortable after going only 2-for-16 in the four-game NLDS win over San Diego.
“He does everything,” rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt said. “He defends, he hits, he runs, he knows the game. He’s a baseball rat, he wants to win, he’s a complete player.”
Luckily for the Brewers, Turang only turns 27 in November and is under team control through the end of 2029.
Abner Uribe and the Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen deserve immense credit
Milwaukee relievers held the Dodgers to two hits over 4.2 scoreless innings, and the impressive Uribe turned heads after taking over in the sixth. Few outside Milwaukee are likely familiar with the Dominican-born right-hander, who has posted a 1.80 ERA and 5.0 bWAR since the start of 2025. That surely changed Sunday night, as Uribe threw 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes and recorded two strikeouts.
Veteran closer Trevor Megill ran into trouble in the ninth, walking Kyle Tucker and Josue De Paula with two outs. Rather than let things spiral, Megill induced a game-ending flyout from future Hall of Fame shortstop Mookie Betts.
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