Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers NLCS schedule, start times

By virtue of a thrilling Game 5 victory in the NLDS over their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Brewers will play in their third National League Championship Series in franchise history. It's the fourth time that the Brewers have reached the "semifinal" round of the postseason, but since they were a member of the American League back in 1982, it's just the third time that they will participate in the NLCS.

On deck is a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A favorite to win the National League at nearly every point of the season, despite the Brew Crew outpacing them in wins all summer, the Dodgers are appearing in their 7th NLCS in the last 10 years, after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in four games during the NLDS.

The Brewers and Dodgers met in the NLCS back in 2018, a series that ended in a Dodgers win in a winner-takes-all Game 7 at Miller Park (the Brewers' home ballpark wasn't renamed to American Family Field until the 2021 season). Once again, the Brew Crew has home field advantage in the NLCS this year, just as they did back in 2018, meaning Games 1 and 2 will be played in Milwaukee, Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and then the series would return to American Family Field for Games 6 and 7 if they are required to determine the winner of the National League.

Here's a full schedule of when each of those games will be played.

Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers - Monday, October 13 at 7:08 p.m. CT

The Dodgers wrapped up their series with the Phillies back on Thursday night, meaning they will have enjoyed three off-days by the time the NLCS begins on Monday night. However, Los Angeles will have to travel to Milwaukee tomorrow, turning their Sunday into more of a travel day and less of a true day off. Even still, compared to the Brewers’ lone day off tomorrow, the Dodgers will be more rested than the Brew Crew when play begins on Monday.

Though not yet confirmed, many expect Blake Snell to be the Dodgers' starting pitcher in Game 1. Snell is pitching like an ace right now, with a 1.38 postseason ERA in 13.0 innings to prove it, and he hasn't made a start since last Monday, when he tossed a six-inning one-hitter against a dangerous Phillies lineup.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are likely to use Quinn Priester as their bulk pitcher on Monday night, who is looking for a bounce-back performance after his first career playoff start on Wednesday night didn't go according to plan -- Priester surrendered four earned runs and failed to escape the first inning.

Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers - Tuesday, October 14 at 7:08 p.m. CT

The second game of the series will also be a night game at the Brewers' home ballpark, straying from the abnormal start times that plagued the Brewers and Cubs during their NLDS matchup. No more afternoon first pitches or late-night matchups in Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS, just good old-fashioned 7:00 p.m. starts.

The assumption is that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will start Game 2 (not Game 1) for the Dodgers, despite being lined up to start a potential Game 5 in the NLDS that never ended up happening. As noted by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts prefers to pitch Ohtani before an off-day, which is why the assumption is that Snell will start Game 1, while Ohtani takes the ball in Game 2. Ohtani pitched six innings against Philadelphia back in Game 1, on October 4, and allowed three earned runs while tossing 89 pitches.

Freddy Peralta is expected to start Game 2 for the Brewers on four days’ rest, as Pat Murphy alluded to in his Game 4 postgame press conference. Peralta is hoping that his NLCS performance more closely resembles his Game 1 outing in the NLDS as opposed to his Game 4 start at Wrigley Field, in which he surrendered a first-inning three-run homer to Ian Happ.

Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers - Thursday, October 16 at TBD

The two teams will travel across two time zones on Wednesday before matching up for Game 3 of the NLCS at the historic Dodger Stadium. The Brewers last played a game at Dodger Stadium back on July 20, the final game of a series in which Milwaukee swept Los Angeles just a week after they swept them at their home ballpark, American Family Field.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a 2025 All-Star who made 30 starts for the Dodgers during the regular season and posted a 2.49 ERA, is expected to be Dave Roberts' Game 3 starter. Yamamoto has already made two starts this postseason, one in which he tossed a gem against the Cincinnati Reds, and the other a shaky four-inning start against the Phillies.

After his performance in last night's elimination game, Jacob Misiorowski will more than likely cover several innings in Game 3 of the NLCS. Whether that is as a true starter or a multi-inning "reliever" remains to be seen.

Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers - Friday, October 17 at TBD

Just as is currently the case for Game 3, no official start time has been decided for Game 4. With the ALCS also being played on Thursday and Friday of next week, MLB has some decisions to make as to which game will get the "primetime slot" and which series will be forced to adjust.

Tyler Glasnow will more than likely start Game 4 for the Dodgers, assuming he isn't needed in a relief role before then. Roberts has used Glasnow as both a starter and a reliever so far in the postseason, but in a seven-game series his services will more than likely be called upon in a true starter's role. The 6'8" right-hander has yet to allow a run in 7.2 innings during the postseason this year.

Game 4 is where things will get interesting for Pat Murphy and the Brewers' pitching staff. With just three days in between Games 1 and 4, Murphy won't have the luxury of returning to Priester for Game 4 in the same way that he did with Peralta during the NLDS. Ideally, Brandon Woodruff is healthy enough to be included on the NLCS roster, but assuming he isn’t, José Quintana, Chad Patrick, and Aaron Ashby remain options to start Game 4 in Los Angeles.

Game 5 (if necessary): Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers - Saturday, October 18 at TBD

Assuming the Brewers don't sweep the Dodgers in four games, Game 5 will also take place at Dodger Stadium, but no official start time has been released yet, despite the ALCS not taking place on Saturday, October 18.

At this point, with four days in between Game 1 and 5, both managers could theoretically return to their Game 1 starters (Snell and Priester), but factors including how they performed in Game 1, which relief arms remain available, and the status of the series at that point will all impact their decisions.

Game 6 (if necessary): Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers - Monday, October 20 at TBD

The NLCS will return to American Family Field in Milwaukee for a potential Game 6, but with Game 7 of the ALCS potentially occurring on the same night, it has yet to be decided what time both games will be played.

The travel day on Sunday, October 19, should allow both Murphy and Roberts to reset their bullpens, potentially impacting how both managers choose to navigate a potential Game 6. That said, Brewers fans can be sure of one thing: if Peralta goes deep in Game 2 on Tuesday night and the NLCS goes to a Game 6, Pat Murphy will almost certainly turn to his ace once again in what will be a crucial matchup a week from tomorrow.

Game 7 (if necessary): Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers - Tuesday, October 21 at TBD

At this point, the two teams will know for certain who will represent the American League in the 2025 World Series, either the Seattle Mariners or the top-seeded Toronto Blue Jays.

As Brewers fans just witnessed in their Game 5 matchup with the Cubs, elimination games often lead to creative pitching strategies, so predicting who would throw for each team in a potential Game 7 is a futile practice. No one expected Trevor Megill and Drew Pomeranz to start Game 5 of the NLDS, so just for fun I'll say the Game 7 starters in the NLCS will be Jared Koenig and Alex Vesia.