Brewers’ Game 1 ninth-inning rally could spell trouble for Dodgers’ bullpen in NLCS

There's no two ways around it: Game 1 of the NLCS was a tough loss for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Fresh off a thrilling win in a winner-takes-all Game 5 in the NLDS against the rival Chicago Cubs, the Brewers' offense ran into a buzzsaw in Blake Snell. They managed just one hit off of the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace, who tossed eight scoreless innings while striking out 10.

Snell, a 2x Cy Young Award winner, completely neutered everyone in Milwaukee's lineup, exposing their patient tendencies and destroying them in the zone—the Brewers whiffed 22 times on 49 swings against the southpaw.

That led to a 2-1 loss that shifted home-field advantage in the Dodgers' favor, though the Brewers didn't exit the game without at least making the reigning champions sweat.

Rookie phenom Roki Sasaki entered the game in the ninth inning to close out the Crew after Snell's dominant performance, only to nearly blow it. The starter-turned-closer gave up two walks and a hit in just 2/3 of an inning, and his replacement, Blake Treinen, barely escaped with the bases loaded to close out the game for good.

A lineup loaded with MVPs and a finally-healthy rotation may make the Dodgers seem unbeatable, but Sasaki's struggles open the door for the Brewers to take advantage of L.A.'s bullpen.

Dodgers' crumbling bullpen gives Brewers a path to winning NLCS

The Dodgers' rotation, even after Snell, remains a looming force. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the ball in Game 2, and he'll likely be followed by Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow once the series shifts to Chavez Ravine.

Save for Freddy Peralta's battle with Yamamoto, the Brewers will unequivocally be at a disadvantage in the starting pitching contest for the rest of the series. The Dodgers have spent an exorbitant amount of money making their rotation elite, and now that they're finally healthy, it's tough to get past them.

The bullpen is an entirely different story, however. Only one member of their relief corps had a regular season ERA under 3.00: Jack Dreyer (2.95). A lot of the pitchers in the Dodgers' bullpen are actually starters, including Clayton Kershaw, Emmet Sheehan, and Sasaki.

Kershaw, who has a history of disintegrating in October, allowed four earned runs in two innings in his lone appearance in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. Likewise, Sheehan is rocking a 10.80 ERA through his three postseason appearances this year. Sasaki's emergence in October had worked to solidify the shaky relief corps, but after last night's struggles, Dave Roberts and company are back to square one.

None of this is to say the bullpen woes will prove fatal for the Dodgers -- they won the World Series last year with a similarly struggling group -- but it's an exploitable weakness for the Brewers, who have a knack for tiring starting pitchers and getting them out of the game early.

The Brewers lost the battle in Game 1, but they may have gained the insight and confidence they needed to win the war.