It took one hour for Pat Murphy to give Brewers an easy out if they lose the NLCS

A rematch of the 2017 NLCS will take place eight years later as the Milwaukee Brewers will meet the Los Angeles Dodgers with a spot in the World Series on the line. This series has the makings of being an instant classic, with both teams possessing tons of talent in all facets of the game. It truly feels like this series could go either way.

The way that some, including Brewers manager Pat Murphy, are treating this series, though, it's as if Milwaukee doesn't even deserve to be at this stage.

Murphy, for whatever reason, decided to shade his own players, saying he doesn't even know how many of them would play on the Dodgers. Sure, Murphy has every reason to be complimentary of the Dodgers, but it sounds like he's giving his team an easy out if they fall short. That's something nobody should fall for.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Pat Murphy is giving his team an excuse if they lose vs. Dodgers

By saying he doesn't know how many of his own players would play on the Dodgers, Murphy is essentially saying that the Dodgers are overwhelmingly more talented than Milwaukee. He later tries to pump his team up by saying, "It ain't about that. It's about how we come together as a team and compete."

Here's what I think Murphy is doing. He's saying his team is scrappy, but the Dodgers are clearly better. He's saying that because of the talent disadvantage his team has, they should not be treated as the favorites. This means that if they were to fall short, it wouldn't be seen as much of an issue, given the fact that the Dodgers would be favored.

There's one problem, though — should the Dodgers really be the favorites? The facts suggest that they should not be.

Nobody should buy what Pat Murphy is trying to sell

I'm not going to act as if the Dodgers aren't supremely talented. In fact, I think they are, in fact, more talented than the Brewers, and I picked them to win this series. With that being said, what about this series really suggests that the Dodgers should be favored other than individual player talent?

This tweet says it all. The Brewers are treated like the underdogs, yet they won four more games than the Dodgers in the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed overall by finishing the year with the best record in the sport. By earning the No. 1 seed, the Brewers have home-field advantage, and, oh yeah, the Brewers swept all six regular season games against the Dodgers.

So let me get this straight. The Brewers won more games than anyone, including four more than the Dodgers, have home-field advantage, and also dominated the Dodgers in the regular season. That team isn't the favorite? That team is at a major talent disadvantage?

The Dodgers are a great team, but so are the Brewers. In no way should they be given the kind of out Pat Murphy appears eager to give them if they were to fall in this NLCS. Hopefully, the MLB world does not discount everything the Brewers have done.