Brewers vs. Dodgers 2026 NLCS: 6 keys to Milwaukee winning the series

The National League Championship Series is set, and we’ve got a rematch from last year. Yes, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers — baseball’s two best teams during the regular season — are through to the NLCS, which kicks off with Game 1 on Sunday, Oct. 11, in Milwaukee.

The Dodgers swept the Brewers last year en route to their second straight World Series title, limiting Milwaukee to just four total runs in the process. They’re now trying to become just the second franchise — and fifth instance — to complete a historic three-peat with three consecutive World Series titles.

The Brewers are searching for their second World Series appearance and first championship in franchise history. Their only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, when they were still in the American League.

Milwaukee went 4-3 against the Dodgers this year, taking three of four in Los Angeles in August after the Dodgers took two of three in Milwaukee in May. The Dodgers held a slight 27-25 scoring advantage across those five games.

So how can the Brewers return to the World Series and end the Dodgers’ quest for history? With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’ve followed these two NL giants closely all year long, and we have six things the Brewers can do to upend the Dodgers in the NLCS.

How the Milwaukee Brewers can beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2026 NLCS

The Brewers have the regular-season record, home-field advantage and pitching depth to challenge the defending champions. But beating the Dodgers in a seven-game series will require Milwaukee to capitalize on its strengths while exploiting a few potential weaknesses in Los Angeles' lineup and pitching staff.

Take advantage of home-field advantage at American Family Field

The Brewers had baseball’s best record at 103-59, earning them home-field advantage throughout the postseason. That edge needs to play out this time around.

As noted, the Brewers had home-field advantage in last year’s NLCS but could not take advantage of it. They lost both games in Milwaukee before dropping two more in Los Angeles to get swept. They mustered just four runs — one in each of the four games.

Milwaukee was a tough place for opposing teams to play during the regular season. The Brewers were 55-26 at American Family Field, tied with Tampa Bay for the best home record in baseball. They also went 2-0 against San Diego at home in the NLDS.

But the Dodgers were baseball’s best road team at 49-32 this year. In addition to winning both NLCS games in Milwaukee last year, they took two of three there during the regular season.

The Brewers need to get that hometown magic back against the big, bad Dodgers.

Lean on Jacob Misiorowski to shut down the Dodgers

By winning Game 4 over the Padres, the Brewers were able to keep Jacob Misiorowski on ice for Game 1 of the NLCS. That’s a great thing.

Misiorowski has been baseball’s best pitcher this year. He had a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP and also led MLB in strikeouts and K/9. He also dominates the Dodgers.

Across three starts against the Dodgers — including last year’s NLCS — Misiorowski has allowed just three earned runs over 17 innings, with 27 strikeouts and three walks.

The Brewers will need all that and then some from Misiorowski in Game 1, a potential Game 5 start and possibly a Game 7 relief appearance, especially after he allowed two runs in just four innings against the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Keep Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith from heating up

The Dodgers have no shortage of talent on their roster, especially in the lineup. It’s hard to target just one or two hitters to focus on. But two of L.A.’s biggest and most important bats are in ruts right now, and Milwaukee can’t let them wake up.

Those bats? Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith.

Ohtani went 2-for-13 with four strikeouts, no RBIs and no extra-base hits in the NLDS. Smith was even worse, going 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts, no RBIs and no extra-base hits.

Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and others are also important, but Ohtani and Smith are key run producers in the middle of the lineup, and they often hit right alongside each other.

Keep them cold, and you’ve got a much better chance of limiting the damage.

Capitalize on scoring opportunities against Dodgers pitching

This is simple — score runs!

But really, when you look at it, that’s where the Braves fell short this year and the Brewers struggled last year when facing the Dodgers.

Atlanta scored eight runs in the NLDS, going 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position. The Brewers’ bats were even worse in last year’s NLCS, scoring just four total runs, leaving 19 runners on base and going 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

If you don’t score, you don’t win. As good as Milwaukee is on the mound, on the bases and in the field, if the bats look anything like they did in last year’s NLCS, the Brewers are cooked.

Make Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow work for every out

Despite Blake Snell being a two-time Cy Young Award winner and Tyler Glasnow being a dominant force when healthy, they are the two "weak" links in the Dodgers’ rotation behind Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in baseball over the last two-plus years, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, last year’s World Series MVP.

Snell and Glasnow, when they're on, are basically unhittable. But both have dealt with numerous injuries since joining Los Angeles, and neither has been consistently healthy.

Snell and Glasnow have each struggled with walks, especially this postseason. Snell walked five batters in 3 1/3 innings in Game 2 against the Braves, while Glasnow also issued five walks against Atlanta in 4 2/3 innings in Game 4.

Both allowed just one earned run while striking out five, but the Brewers don’t strike out very much. They also drew the second-most walks of any team in MLB this year and ranked fifth in stolen bases, so they can make pitchers pay in several ways for staying out of the strike zone.

Win the bullpen battle against Los Angeles

To me, this is the most important thing outside of simply scoring more runs.

Baseball has changed a lot in recent years, and bullpen usage is at an all-time high, especially in the postseason. That’s particularly true for the Brewers, whose bullpen pitched 19 innings over four NLDS games.

Both bullpens were stellar in the NLDS. The Dodgers allowed four earned runs over 14 2/3 innings, good for a 2.45 ERA. The Brewers’ relievers were even better, allowing just one earned run (two total) in 19 innings for a 0.47 ERA.

The Brewers turn to their relievers quickly — even with Misiorowski starting — while the Dodgers have a bit more trust in their top starters and give them a longer leash.

Milwaukee’s bullpen, at its best, is the best in baseball, and manager Pat Murphy can be masterful in orchestrating its usage. That group must outperform the Dodgers’ relievers in this series if the Brewers are going to pull off the win.