Brewers vs. Dodgers NL Wild Card Series Preview

The eighth-seeded Milwaukee Brewers will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Wild Card Round.

Despite some ups and downs, the Milwaukee Brewers will be playing postseason baseball for the third year in a row. Not bad, right? These expanded playoffs will now bring a significant challenge for Milwaukee, a rematch of the 2018 NLCS against the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting with the lineups, let’s take a look at how these two teams match up with one another, and what Brewers fans should expect to see across this three-game playoff.

The Lineups

LA Projected Lineup:

– Mookie Betts, RF

– Corey Seager, DH

– Justin Turner, 3B

– Max Muncy, 2B

– Cody Bellinger, 1B

– Will Smith, C

– Joc Pederson, LF

– Chris Taylor, SS

– AJ Pollock, CF

A simple eyeball test would tell you that this Dodgers lineup is elite. It features several household names in Betts, Bellinger, and Seager. That said, their reigning MVP, Cody Bellinger, has not performed to his standards this season, finishing with a .239 batting average with 12 home runs and 42 strikeouts.

This lineup is capable of big things on a day-by-day basis, but they’ll have to face a Brewers pitching staff that has overachieved this year. In a 3-game series, anything can happen.

MIL Projected Lineup: 

– Avisail Garcia, CF

– Christian Yelich, LF

– Ryan Braun, RF

– Daniel Vogelbach, DH

– Jedd Gyorko, 1B

– Keston Hiura, 2B

– Orlando Arcia, SS

– Eric Sogard, 3B

– Jacob Nottingham, C

The Brewers offense, aside from a couple outlier games where they exploded for 18-19 runs, has been consistently subpar for most of the year. They got no-hit by the Cubs’ fifth starter, and they are dead last in first-inning runs per game, at just 0.25.

The good thing about the postseason is that none of that matters now. If the offense can have two good games in a row, they could find themselves advancing to the next round. That said, old habits may very well persist, and if they do, it’ll be very difficult for Milwaukee to beat L.A.

Look for Orlando Arcia to keep hitting the ball well, and Ryan Braun continuing to put the team on his back as much as he can.

The Bullpens

This is the facet of the game where Milwaukee might have the advantage. Josh Hader has been, well, Josh Hader. He has 31 strikeouts in 21 appearances, 13 saves, and has developed his slider for a perfect complement to his overpowering fastball.

On the other hand, Devin Williams has a case to win both the NL Reliever of the Year award as well as the NL Rookie of the Year award. He’s been spectacular. He has a 0.33 ERA and his changeup has become perhaps the most unhittable pitches in all of baseball.

Also, keep an eye on Justin Topa and Drew Rasmussen, two young Brewers arms who have shown near-triple digit velocity on their fastballs, and have earned the trust of Craig Counsell to pitch in some relatively high-leverage scenarios.

Here is a clip of a two-pitch sequence from Justin Topa on Sunday:

The Dodgers also have a stout bullpen, led by perennial all-star closer Kenley Jansen. His cut-fastball has been his go-to pitch his whole career and despite a recent dip in velocity, he is still capable of domination with that pitch as his calling card. He has a 3.33 ERA with 11 saves in 27 games this year.

Watch for flamethrower Brusdar Graterol, as well as Blake Treinen to see plenty of action out of the Dodgers bullpen as well.