The Milwaukee Brewers are a team that has dominated regular season after regular season thanks to their ability to play "small-ball" to perfection. I mean, the Brewers just led the majors and set a franchise record with 103 wins in the regular season despite hitting just 154 home runs, the fewest in the National League and tied for the second-fewest in baseball. Their postseason success has been a different story, though. It's lacked, which is why they were seen as underdogs.
The Brewers haven't won a Pennant since 1982 despite making it to the postseason in eight of the last nine years, and they've never won a World Series title. They were swept in last year's NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers after scoring just four runs in four games. Their small-ball formula did not work against an elite Dodgers' staff. Fast forward to this postseason, and the Dodgers' rotation might be even better with Tarik Skubal in the mix, yet the Brewers are a win away from sweeping L.A. The difference? They haven't relied on small-ball.
Brewers are on the verge of sweeping Dodgers due to their ability to slug
Would you believe me if I told you that the Brewers have struck out 35 times in three NLCS games? That's 10 more than the Dodgers, by the way. Would you believe me if I told you they have three stolen bases in five tries in the NLCS? That isn't very efficient. Would you believe me if I told you they only have two doubles in the first three games of this series? That matches the Dodgers' total, and is pretty surprising after Milwaukee ranked fifth in this category in the regular season. The Brewers haven't played much small-ball.
What sticks out, though, is the power they've displayed. The Brewers have hit five home runs in three NLCS games. For reference, Milwaukee hit just one home run in the 2025 NLCS, and hit eight in nine postseason games last year. They've already matched that total in seven postseason games this time around. Milwaukee hit three home runs in their Game 3 victory, driving in four of their six runs. Without those, they managed to score just two runs (which matches the total they gave up). Jackson Chourio set the tone with a lead-off home run. They took the lead thanks to back-to-back home runs from Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell. This was after the Brewers couldn't manage to get a base runner for several innings against Blake Snell.
The 2026 Brewers right now in the NLCS are running the highest three true outcome rate (47%) of any LCS since the series began in 1969.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) October 15, 2026
If you think I find this delightfully entertaining, I do.
Who knew that hitting home runs is an efficient way to score runs? Who knew that striking out doesn't automatically penalize you? John Smoltz and other small-ball believers constantly preach putting the ball in play and emphasize how terrible striking out is. The Brewers are striking out over 11 times per game, yet they're on the verge of sweeping the mighty Dodgers thanks to their power. It's almost as if hitting home runs is a more efficient way to score runs against elite pitching rather than hoping to string a bunch of hits together.
Dodgers' inability to hit for power has their season on the ropes
On the flip side, let's take a look at the Dodgers. They're only striking out a little more than eight times per game, which isn't very many in 2026. They also have just two extra-base hits (both doubles) in three games. They have not hit a single home run. Notably, they've scored just seven runs in three games, just a shade over two per contest, and two of those runs scored thanks to unforced Logan Henderson errors. They've really scored just five earned runs in three games, which isn't quite 2025 Brewers bad, but it's certainly not great!
Where is the power? The Dodgers hit just .203 with a .264 on-base percentage as a team in the NLDS, yet easily took care of the Atlanta Braves due to their ability to pitch and hit home runs. They hit eight home runs in that four-game series, while no other team hit more than three long balls in the Division Series. The only difference in the Championship Series is that the Dodgers can't seem to get the power going. They've pitched fine for the most part, but it's hard to win when you can't score, and it's hard to score when you can't hit home runs.
L.A. had the lead-off man on in three of the first five innings, yet pushed that runner to second base just once and never beyond that. They only scored their runs after Abner Uribe They went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position overall, and have gone 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position this series. Getting runners to second base is hard enough, and coming through with another hit in those moments is even tougher against elite pitching.
The Brewers are showing that home runs are needed to win postseason games. Having an elite pitching staff and high-end defense helps, but scoring runs comes down to hitting home runs. The Brewers are doing that, and the Dodgers are not. There's your NLCS difference.
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