Cory Sparks

The Milwaukee Brewers take a 2-0 lead into game three of the NLDS, and in order to complete the sweep, they'll have to hone in on these three aspects. View full video

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect The first two games of the Milwaukee Brewers’ playoff journey have been must-see television, but the job isn’t done. After a raise-the-roof 3-2 victory in Game 1 and a Jackson Chourio walk-off single for a 4-3 triumph in Game 2, the Crew needs one more win to advance to the League Championship Series for the fourth time since they switched to the National League. Here's what Pat Murphy’s squad must accomplish to get there. Keep Stealing Bases to Put Pressure on the Defense The Brewers have won the NL Central four seasons in a row, stamping their ticket to the postseason and earning some playoff home games to go with it. How did they get there without an offense known for its power? Partially, it was by being aggressive on the base paths. While the strong crowds at American Family Field certainly helped with putting pressure on a streaking San Diego Padres team, stealing an extra 90 feet has been their brand for the last few seasons. The Brewers stole 162 bases in the regular season this year, good enough for fifth in baseball. The Padres stole 164, slotting in slightly ahead of the Crew. So far in this series, though, the Crew is 3-for-3 in that department (one each from Bryce Turang, Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich). Yelich’s stolen base came on a 1-0 count against a Mason Miller fastball, a scenario wherein most baserunners wouldn’t try their luck. He forced the issue, anyway. San Diego, on the other hand, is 0-for-1, after Dustin Harris was caught stealing in the fifth inning of Game 2. The Padres already have their backs against the wall. They're playing to extend their season for the rest of this series. The Brewers can make their lives that much harder by staying aggressive. Dustin May Needs to Provide Some Length Both bullpens have recorded exactly 27 outs, though it hasn't quite felt like they've absorbed equally heavy loads. Jacob Misiorowski went just four innings in the series opener (Antonio Senzatela, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, DL Hall and Trevor Megill followed), and Logan Henderson provided five innings on Sunday night (JoJo Romero, Uribe, Ashby and Megill followed). While the team gets an off day, that’s still three high-leverage arms (Ashby, Uribe and Megill) who have gone in back-to-back contests. In his last eight starts of the regular season, Brewers starter Dustin May went five or more innings just once. There’s a scenario where the Padres take Game 3 at home and extend this series. If that were to happen, the war of attrition really kicks in for these relievers. May going four innings (if not five) will be critical for the Brewers’ success, because it will give them a chance to turn to Robert Gasser or Kyle Harrison for some length, too, and not to need all of the traditional high-leverage options. Keep the Clutch Hitting Rolling The Brewers are only 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position over the first two games, with their fourth base knock being Chourio’s two-run single to send the 41,683 fans in attendance into a roaring frenzy. But the hits and at-bats don't document the walks that set the stage for Chourio's heroics. Nor is hitting with runners in scoring position the only way to be clutch William Contreras’s solo home run in Game 1 was a clutch hit. Milwaukee’s backstop stepped up in a 2-2 ball game and provided the go-ahead run. The Padres are just 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position. It’s a thin margin, but that’s been the difference between a 1-1 split and the 2-0 advantage the Crew has as they make the trek out west. Game 3 of the NLDS is on Tuesday at 8:30 PM CT. If Milwaukee can steal bases, get significant innings out of May and continue to come through in the clutch, they’ll be dancing to the NLCS yet again. View full article

Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Freddy Peralta is in the final year of his contract, and it may be tempting for many to want him to don the blue and yellow yet again. This would not work, and it could prove catastrophic for the future of Milwaukee’s rotation if they tried a move like this. Let’s break down Peralta’s 2026 season, and the three different reasons bringing him back would be a poor decision. This is a two-part article: read the counterpoint here. Building A Strong Reputation Before diving into the reasons Peralta shouldn’t be back with the Crew, it’s important to highlight the portfolio he’s built for himself. For years, he has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. This is someone who has a career record of 75-51, a 3.79 earned run average, and over 1,200 strikeouts in just north of 1,000 innings. Peralta is a two-time All-Star, and the 30-year-old even surpassed 200 strikeouts in three straight seasons from 2023-2025. A Season To Forget Milwaukee traded Peralta to the New York Mets ahead of this season, losing their ace along with a depth arm in Tobias Myers. In exchange, the Crew got utility Jett Williams and right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat. Since that deal, Peralta has had one of the worst seasons of his big league career. This year, the now Tampa Bay Rays starter is 5-9 with a 5.37 earned run average, striking out 116 hitters over 117 1/3 innings in 23 starts. Peralta’s 1.52 WHIP is 44 points higher than the value he produced last year in his final campaign with the Brewers. The fastball-heavy hurler has been getting hit hard, allowing 19 homers while allowing a batting average of .260 or better on four of his six pitches. No Guarantee He's "Back" Peralta’s walks are up at 9.2 percent (38th percentile), and his below-average strikeout rate of 21.8 percent (43rd percentile) hasn’t been encouraging either. This is somebody who has lost a tick on his fastball velocity, as his primary offering is gliding in at just an average of 94.2 miles per hour, his lowest mark since 2022. There’s no guarantee he returns to his form with the Brewers; The Cubs tried this with Jake Arrieta, who won a Cy Young with the team in 2016 before having some subpar seasons with the Phillies. When he re-joined the northsiders five years later, his earned run average ballooned up to 7.39, almost three full runs higher than a 4.64 mark a pair of years prior. While it’s fun to imagine Peralta magically returning to form as soon as he dawns his old threads, this is someone on the other side of 30 years old who relies on power and is struggling mightily. Innings Inefficiency Even when Peralta was at his best, the former Brewers’ ace has always had a tough time finishing off hitters. The 30-year-old throws a lower-than-average percentage of pitches inside the zone, leading to a pitches per plate appearance rate north of 4.1. This results in those taxing, 100-pitch starts that sometimes just get Peralta through five innings. That’s how bullpens get taxed, even on some of his better days. Holding Down Controllable Talent As it stands, Milwaukee has one of the better rotations in baseball while still developing more up-and-coming arms. Jacob Misiorowski is competing for an NL Cy Young award, Kyle Harrison has been a remarkable secondary option, and other names like Coleman Crow, Logan Henderson, and more could be controllable, affordable arms that should fill out the rotation. Peralta, even after a down year, will demand more revenue per year than most, if not all, of those players right now. With the salary cap looming, combining production with affordability is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, Peralta doesn’t provide that combination. View full article

While it may be tempting to bring back two-time All-Star Freddy Peralta, the Milwaukee Brewers should not make the decision. Peralta is in the midst of the worst year of his big-league career, and in this video, we'll go over the three reasons that making him a member of the Crew again would be a poor decision. View full video

This is true. The depth is insane. What's the NLCS official prediction?

Agreed!

Glasnow is just working back too. I don't hate the matchup in general! Love the "young and dumb" take too- get guys who just ambush the moment and see what happens

The Milwaukee Brewers squared off with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS last year, but the Dodgers got the best of the Crew in the form of a sweep. This year, Jacob Misiorowski's status as a starter is no longer in question, as he's the NL Cy Young frontrunner. Kyle Harrison has emerged as a front-of-the-rotation threat. How does the Brewers' pitching staff compare to Tarik Skubal and the Dodgers' starters? We dove in headfirst to find out. View full video

Image courtesy of IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers may yet again be on the David vs. Goliath course that we saw the conclusion of in the NLCS last year. Milwaukee has consistently been in the bottom half of the league’s payroll rankings, while the Dodgers live amongst the cream of the crop when it comes to top-end spending. Despite the financial disparity, there may not be a starting pitcher more electric than Jacob Misiorowski and Tarik Skubal. Kyle Harrison and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are both secondary options, so we’ll compare those two as well. Jacob Misiorowski Breakdown Misiorowski has quickly stolen headlines for having the most electric fastball in the sport. The Brewers’ flamethrower has fired a ball as fast as 105.5 miles per hour, and he’s improved leaps and bounds with his command since debuting in the major leagues last year. The 24-year-old former second-round pick is 11-5 this year with a 1.63 earned run average and has 195 strikeouts in 127 innings of work. He’s striking out 40.6 percent of hitters (100th percentile) and is walking hitters just 6.0 percent of the time (87th percentile). The Brewers’ ace has a five-pitch mix, but he heavily relies on the fastball that holds a rising effect out of his 30-degree arm angle upon release. His 0.73 WHIP tops all starters by 0.15, and he’s holding opposing hitters below the Mendoza line against every one of his pitches. Tarik Skubal Breakdown Skubal was the big-ticket acquisition at this year’s MLB trade deadline, and for good reason. The two-time Cy Young winner has the accolades on his side, and he currently profiles as one of the hardest-throwing lefties in baseball. The newest member of the Dodgers’ rotation holds a 7-6 record this year with a 2.81 earned run average. He has 122 strikeouts in 102.2 innings pitched, operating with a 0.92 WHIP on the season. Skubal is a master of deception, and he’s one of the more cerebral pitchers in baseball, using his sinker 32% more often against fellow southpaws than he does against right-handed hitters. The 29-year-old lands in the top 10 percent for chase rate (36.1), whiff rate (32.5), strikeout rate (30.7) and walk rate (4.0), and he has postseason experience under his belt from his time in Detroit. Kyle Harrison’s Tale of the Tape Harrison was the Brewers’ big offseason acquisition, as Milwaukee got him from the Boston Red Sox in a package deal. Harrison has one of the best slurves in baseball, garnering just a .150 opposing batting average against his low-80s, gloveside biting pitch. The first-year member of the Crew is 9-2 this season with a 2.84 earned run average, and he’s struck out 111 hitters in 88.2 innings. He’s been an absolute master at creating swing-and-miss and limiting quality contact. The 24-year-old southpaw has an elite 33.4 percent chase rate (79th percentile) accompanied by a 29.4 percent whiff rate (80th percentile). He’s also allowing a ball to get barrelled up just 6.3 percent of the time. His 6.6-foot extension (67th percentile) allows what’s already a mid-90s fastball to appear even quicker. The most important aspect for Harrison is staying healthy, as his most recent injury scare was related to cramping in both calves. Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Makeup Yoshinobu Yamamoto rounds out matchups, and if he’s the Game 2 opponent in this hypothetical series between LA and Milwaukee, runs may be at a premium. The 27-year-old righty has an 11-7 record this year, earning a 2.76 earned run average and a miniscule 0.88 WHIP on the season. Yamamoto has an elite ground ball rate, forcing a hitter to roll over 47.5 percent of the time (75th percentile). The Japanese-born pitcher put up a Madison Bumgarner-like performance in the World Series last year, tossing 17.2 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out 15 across three different appearances. The Dodgers’ pitchers have the postseason experience, but overall, give me Miz as a guaranteed two wins if his stuff is on in a playoff atmosphere. Yamamoto gets the slight edge over Harrison since he’s been performing at a higher level for a little longer, but overall, Milwaukee’s starters have impressed me more in the 2026 regular season and have the edge. View full article