4 key takeaways from Brewers' momentum-restoring series win over Dodgers

After a disheartening loss on Wednesday evening that resulted in a three-game sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers faced a daunting task: restoring momentum while finishing a stretch of 17 straight games with a four-game set against the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Brewers, hampered by injuries to several key players, rolled into Chavez Ravine needing a reason to believe they could defeat the Dodgers in a postseason series after a demoralizing sweep in last year's National League Championship Series. What Milwaukee's short-handed group produced was far more than just a reason to believe; it was a sign that things are different this year than they were last season.

Dominant pitching performances from Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson served as reminders of the lack of clear starting options Milwaukee possessed when they fell to the Dodgers in four games in the NLCS a season ago. A shaky performance from Los Angeles' bullpen group and an underwhelming showing from their offense reminded the baseball world that while the Dodgers' bloated payroll should be able to produce a flawless roster, no such thing exists in the game. The Brew Crew's ability to persist through a grueling schedule without team leaders such as Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Cooper Pratt, and Abner Uribe, and take three out of four games from the Dodgers on the road proved that on any given day, Dave Roberts' assembly of All-Stars can be defeated.

Therefore, as much as Milwaukee's series victory over the Dodgers this weekend served as a necessary momentum boost during the "dog days" of the season, it also served as a learning opportunity for Pat Murphy's squad. Expected to have to face Los Angeles at some point in October if they want to reach their ultimate goal, the Brewers can take several lessons away from their four-gamer at Dodger Stadium. Here are four takeaways from this weekend's series that will be especially helpful in the postseason.

4 takeaways from Brewers' series victory over the Dodgers that should have fans encouraged about the postseason

1. For as strong as their rotation is, the Dodgers' bullpen has several question marks

The Dodgers have assembled one of, if not the most decorated starting rotations of all time. With a pair of 2x Cy Young Award winners in Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell, and a third starter who has been better than both of them this year in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers' rotation will be a nightmare for any postseason opponent. Pair that trio with All-Stars Tyler Glasnow and Justin Wrobleski, both of whom are currently on the IL, and Shohei Ohtani, who is currently not pitching due to a knee injury, and the Dodgers' starting pitching depth is beyond belief.

However, for as dominant as their starting group is, Los Angeles' bullpen has been rather shaky as of late. The Dodgers' relief corps ranks 13th in all of baseball with a 3.97 ERA on the season. Since the All-Star Break, that number has jumped up to 4.55, which ranks 22nd in MLB. Arms like Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott have been excellent this year, with both boasting sub-3.00 ERAs to prove it, but Vesia has a 4.38 ERA over his last 15 appearances and proved to be hittable in his two appearances against the Crew this weekend.

Where concerns really lie for the Dodgers is the closer's role. Since returning from the IL, Edwin Díaz, whom Los Angeles gave a record-breaking three-year, $69 million contract to this offseason, has posted a 10.66 ERA in 15 appearances. After blowing a save against the Brewers on Thursday night, Díaz nearly gave away Friday night's game as well due to a glaring lack of control. The Dodgers will certainly give the 2x Reliever of the Year every chance to rediscover his form, but if Díaz doesn't prove to be effective before the end of the regular season, Los Angeles will have key role to fill come October.

That said, given the Dodgers' starting pitching depth, it's likely one or two of their current starters will switch over to the bullpen in October. Paired with expected returns from Brock Stewart and Blake Treinen before the end of the regular season, the bullpen the Brewers may encounter in October could look rather different than the one they saw this weekend, but the fact remains: Milwaukee needs to force the Dodgers to turn the ball over to their relief group as soon as possible in each game.

2. Home runs matter, but they aren't everything

The dominant discourse is that offenses who hit more home runs in the postseason are more successful than those who rely on stringing together base hits to produce runs. It's not only a phenomenon generally supported by history, but intuitively, it makes sense. When facing dominant pitching staffs like the ones teams generally encounter in the postseason, piecing together two or three hits at a time is far more difficult. The teams that can take advantage of the rare mistake from an opposing pitcher and send a ball over the fence therefore tend to be more successful.

That reality is a daunting one for the Brewers, who currently rank dead last in MLB in home runs. The Brewers instead rely on their MLB-leading walk rate, putting balls in play, and impacting the game on the basepaths to produce runs, of which they have the fifth-most in all of baseball.

During their four-game set in Los Angeles this weekend, the Brewers relied on both home runs and their small-ball brand of baseball to defeat the mighty Dodgers. In the series opener, the Brewers' disciplined approach led to two runs against Roki Sasaki, who was struggling to find the zone, before a string of singles against Díaz in the ninth ultimately gave them the win. However, on Saturday night, Milwaukee's offense was entirely generated by two home runs, one from Joey Ortiz and one from William Contreras. On Sunday, Milwaukee was back to their homer-less ways, but forced the Dodgers to be perfect and took advantage when they weren't.

A sudden onset of power is unlikely to arrive between now and October, so the Brewers can't expect to win games in the postseason with one or two big swings. It would certainly help if some of their power hitters crush a few longballs in October, but if Milwaukee is going to make a run in the playoffs this year, they must not stray from the disciplined approach that allows them to exploit their opponents' flaws.

3. Milwaukee's right-handed hitters must show up in October

The Brewers saw just one of Los Angeles' pair of Cy Young-winning southpaws this weekend, but the expectation is that Milwaukee would face both Skubal and Snell over the course of a postseason series. In such a reality, it's imperative that the Brewers' right-handed hitters come through when they're needed most.

Both Skubal and Snell have unsurprisingly been much more effective against lefties than righties throughout their careers, and this season has been no different. While both have comparable opponent batting averages against either handed hitters, it's the difference in on-base and slugging percentages that reveal the significant platoon advantage for right-handers. As a result, Milwaukee's righties will be tasked with playing an important role in a hypothetical postseason series.

Ortiz and Contreras took advantage of facing the left-handed Justin Wrobleski on Saturday night, crushing homers while the Dodgers' southpaw was on the bump. Meanwhile, Contreras, Chourio, and Andrew Vaughn each collected hits off Skubal during Sunday's victory.

Production from that quartet -- Chourio, Contreras, Vaughn, and Ortiz -- will be imperative for the Brewers in the postseason. Though his .893 OPS against southpaws this year may indicate otherwise, Jake Bauers cannot be relied upon to once again to collect three hits against Skubal if they meet again in two moths...or maybe he can, Bauers' performance this year has been nothing short of incredible. Regardless, given the amount of southpaws not only in the Dodgers' starting rotation, but also their bullpen, Milwaukee's right-handed hitters showing up in the postseason, just as they did during this four-game series, could be a determining factor in how far the Brewers advance in October.

4. The order of the Brewers' postseason rotation is not yet set in stone

For the last few months, the assumption has been that the Brewers would turn to Misiorowski in Game 1 of a hypothetical postseason series and Kyle Harrison in Game 2. The pair dominated the first half of the season atop the Brewers' starting rotation, and trade deadline conversations focused around which starter Milwaukee could add to form a dominant trio with Miz and Harrison.

However, 24-year-old rookie right-hander Logan Henderson is complicating the situation by continuing to dominate his competition. Henderson, who has logged just 63.1 innings this year due to a Spring Training injury that delayed his season and a back strain that kept him out from late May to late June, quietly boasts a stellar 2.70 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. On top of that, Henderson is starting to work deeper into games, with each of his starts during the month of August lasting six innings or longer.

On Sunday afternoon, Henderson turned in what might have been his most impressive start yet. Facing the Dodgers' formidable lineup, and opposing Skubal two weeks after their names were constantly linked in mock trades, Henderson tossed seven innings on 93 pitches and allowed just one earned run. He struck out six and surrendered three hits while outdueling the 2x Cy Young Award winner.

Henderson's recent success understandably has Brewers fans questioning whether or not he should be the No. 2 starter behind Misiorowski, which would presumably push Harrison to Game 3. However, add the fact that trade deadline acquisition Dustin May has looked dominant in his first two starts with the Brewers, and the rotation picture looks even more complicated. File that under "good problems to have" as Milwaukee's quartet of starters continues to impress.

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