Brewers and Cubs accomplish new MLB record in Game 3 of NLDS

If you've been watching any of the contests between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS -- and if you're here, I hope you have been -- you've likely noticed a bizarre cadence developing between the two division rivals.

Both lineups have come out on fire in every game, only to settle into a low-scoring groove the rest of the way.

That's the kind of pattern that can put you in some historic company, and wouldn't you know it, the Cubs and Brewers are the first teams ever to both score in the first inning of the first three games in a postseason series.

Cubs, Brewers crushing starting pitchers, struggling against relievers in NLDS

If it feels like this series has been a tale of two halves, then you're onto something.

In this NLDS, there have been a grand total of three runs scored after the fifth inning—two on solo home runs by the Cubs in Game 1 (when the game was well out of reach), and one by the Brewers in the seventh inning of Game 3.

Obviously, that's a testament to the quality of the bullpens both managers have at their disposal, but it's also led to a weird pattern: The team that scores first has lost every game in this NLDS.

Now that's a credit to the lineups. Surrendering runs before you even have a chance to bat is never a comfortable position to be in, but the home teams haven't flinched. In each of the three games, they've returned the favor in the bottom of the first, either tying the game back up or taking the lead outright.

That's how you get a situation where 18 of the 29 runs through three games have been scored in the first inning. It's also why starting pitchers have failed to escape the opening frame twice in this series, and the reason behind the uncomfortable fact that Freddy Peralta is the only pitcher on either side who has completed five-plus innings in a single outing.

So, what's the fix? Well, it starts with better starting pitching, and luckily, the Brewers should have the edge on that front in Game 4. Matthew Boyd and Peralta get the nods for both teams, which, if Game 1 was any indication, immediately tilts things in Milwaukee's favor.

For another, maybe the Brewers should stop letting Michael Busch hit leadoff home runs? That would probably help the cause.