Brewers face uphill battle in NLCS after second consecutive disheartening loss

What looked like a fluke on Monday night is turning into a trend on Tuesday. The Milwaukee Brewers, for the second consecutive game, were on the wrong end of a masterful pitching performance, leaving fans wondering whether their lack of offense or the Los Angeles Dodgers’ assembly of aces is to blame.

Tonight, it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto who carved up the Brewers’ offense. The 27-year-old right-hander from Japan accomplished what his co-ace Blake Snell couldn't in Game 1 on Monday night; he finished all nine innings, turning in the first postseason complete game by a Dodgers' pitcher in more than 20 years. It's the first time that any starting pitcher has gone the distance in the playoffs since Justin Verlander tossed a complete game against the New York Yankees back in 2017.

That's not the type of history that the Brewers were hoping to be a part of tonight, especially after their offensive performance in Game 1 put an emphasis on extending at-bats and getting to the Dodgers' bullpen early. That strategy couldn't have played out worse, as Yamamoto needed just 111 pitches to cover all nine frames.

The Brewers’ lone run came on a leadoff homer from Jackson Chourio, meaning Yamamoto collected 27 consecutive outs without allowing a run. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's ace, Freddy Peralta, surrendered three earned runs in 5.2 innings, a respectable performance when facing the Dodgers’ lineup full of All-Stars, but one that did not give his team a strong chance of winning given the pitching performance that was unfolding from Los Angeles' starter.

Now, after failing to capitalize on either of their two home games to start the series, the Brewers face the difficult task of having to win two out of three games in Los Angeles just to obtain another home game in the 2025 season.

Dodgers take commanding 2-0 series lead in NLCS after second consecutive gem from their starting pitcher

Dropping what felt like a must win in Game 2 leaves the Brewers in a very difficult spot. Not only do they have to travel to Dodger Stadium for Games 3, 4 and 5 (if it's needed), but they are also staring down two more elite starting pitchers in the next two games; Tyler Glasnow is expected to start Game 3 on Thursday evening, giving Shohei Ohtani the ball in Game 4 on Friday.

With just five total hits in the first two games of the series, the Brewers' offense needs to turn things around quickly. They have an opportunity to pile on runs if they can get into the Dodgers' shaky bullpen, but said 'pen needed to cover just one total inning for Los Angeles to win two games at Milwaukee's home ballpark of American Family Field to start the series.

Meanwhile, question marks remain when it comes to the Brewers' pitching plans for the next two games. While it's easy for Dave Roberts to simply pick out of a hat which of his elite starting pitchers he wants to throw in each game, Pat Murphy is left having to piece together a pitching staff lacking starting pitchers who can go deep into games. His best two options, Quinn Priester and Peralta, will be unavailable for at least the first two games in Los Angeles after serving as the bulk pitchers in Games 1 and 2.

The series is far from over, and anything can happen in postseason baseball, but after being in a fine spot after their loss in Game 1, the equation has shifted significantly for the Milwaukee Brewers following their Game 2 loss. However, if ever there was a team to defy the odds, it would be the undaunted, Uecker-magic-filled, power of friendship-motivated Brew Crew of 2025. The task at hand? Win one ballgame on Thursday night and go from there.