Who has the edge in NLCS? Our experts are divided
On one side, you have a star-studded roster that's looking to take another step on its journey toward a three-peat.
On the other side, you have a 103-win club that's looking to serve up some Championship Series revenge.
This year's NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers has the look of a heavyweight fight. It's a rematch from last year, when Los Angeles delivered body blow after body blow en route to knocking out Milwaukee in a four-game sweep.
But this showdown, which begins Sunday night with Game 1 in Milwaukee, should be a much tighter affair. Why? Well, just take a look below at the series predictions our MLB.com experts made for an indication of how tight this series could be.
Dodgers (No. 2 seed) vs. Brewers (No. 1 seed)
The pick: It's a tie!
Of the 34 MLB.com experts who cast their series predictions, 17 chose the Dodgers to win, and 17 chose the Brewers to win. Let's explore the arguments for each side.
Why the Dodgers will win
They are the two-time defending World Series champions with an unmatched level of talent and experience. Their starting rotation is full of bona fide aces, including a pair of two-time Cy Young Award winners (Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell) and last season's World Series MVP (Yoshinobu Yamamoto). Their bullpen is deep, and their star closer seems to be rediscovering his elite form.
Their lineup boasts three MVP winners and seven multi-time All-Stars -- and that's not even including the utility player whose postseason resume has him in the company of Hall of Fame sluggers. Plus, they looked every bit like a juggernaut as they rolled past the Braves in the NLDS and limited Atlanta to two total runs over the final two games.
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Not everything is sunshine and rainbows for Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani might be the greatest player to grace a diamond, but he is playing through multiple injuries and has a .520 OPS over his past 23 games (postseason included). Catcher Will Smith went 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts during the NLDS. But the fact that the Dodgers handled Atlanta with relative ease without contributions from those two cornerstone players proves how formidable they remain.
What they are saying
- "Dodgers flipped the switch in Atlanta. This will be a repeat of last year despite the feel-good story that is the Brewers." -- Daniel Feldman, senior manager, social editorial
- "Oftentimes, the postseason comes down to playoff experience and starting pitching. In both areas, the Dodgers have the edge with Skubal, Yamamoto and Snell." -- Noah Yingling, reporter/producer
- "There's just too much talent on this Dodgers team. Any hitter 1-9 can change the game with one swing, and the bullpen seems to be evening out in the back end." -- Max Ralph, trending content writer/editor
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Why the Brewers will win
It's not 2025 any longer. There are plenty of reasons why this year's trip to the NLCS is different for the Brewers. The biggest one will fire the first pitch of this series come Sunday night.
At this time last year, Jacob Misiorowski was a rookie who had 73 big league innings under his belt and had inconsistent results entering the playoffs. He was fantastic against the Dodgers in NLCS Game 3, but that was as a bulk reliever. This year, he's not piggybacking anyone. Misiorowski is perhaps the best pitcher in the sport right now and the heavy favorite to take home the NL Cy Young. Even with the spectacular Skubal starting Game 1 for the Dodgers, the Miz gives the Brewers an edge in just about any matchup.
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However, Milwaukee's rotation is more than just one powerful arm. Logan Henderson owns a 2.33 ERA through his first 23 Major League starts, and Robert Gasser has a 1.73 ERA over his past seven outings (36 1/3 innings, postseason included). Behind them lies a trio of dominant relievers who can shorten any game.
At the plate, this version of the Brewers looks more dangerous than the group that scored a total of four runs in the 2025 NLCS. Jake Bauers had a 140 OPS+ during the regular season. Brice Turang is as good as they come at second base. Christian Yelich and William Contreras swung hot bats in the NLDS versus San Diego. And burgeoning superstar Jackson Chourio has established himself as Milwaukee's Mr. October.
What they are saying
- "The Brewers have the dynamic pitching and all-around contributions on offense and defense to prevent the Dodgers from three-peating." -- Brent Maguire, writer/researcher
- "The Brewers are playing like a team that knows it’s put-up-or-shut-up time. With Jacob Misiorowski in peak form and Jackson Chourio cementing his place as a Milwaukee playoff legend, this feels like the year the Brewers finally get over the hump." -- Casey Drottar, editorial producer
- "Do I feel comfortable going against the two-time defending champions? Not at all. But I think Milwaukee's better bullpen and a deep lineup with a knack for the big hit gets them to the World Series." -- Dan Cichalski, senior manager, content operations
Series predictions
Brewers (7 games): 14 votes
Dodgers (6 games): 8 votes
Dodgers (5 games): 5 votes
Dodgers (7 games): 4 votes
Brewers (6 games): 3 votes
Almost all of our voters who picked the Brewers believe they will have to go the distance in order to end the Dodgers' three-peat dreams.
Who will be named NLCS MVP?
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 13 votes
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD): 5 votes
Tarik Skubal (LAD): 4 votes
Kyle Tucker (LAD): 3 votes
William Contreras (MIL): 2 votes
Max Muncy (LAD): 2 votes
Mookie Betts (LAD): 1 vote
Freddie Freeman (LAD): 1 vote
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL): 1 vote
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 1 vote
Christian Yelich (MIL): 1 vote
Chourio had three hits against the Padres in the NLDS: A game-tying homer in Game 1, a walk-off single in Game 2 that will be replayed in Milwaukee for ages, and a go-ahead single in Game 4 that drove in what proved to be the series-clinching run. He has a knack for big knocks in October. But will he be heroic against Yamamoto and Skubal? The two other most popular MVP picks are lined up to start four times in this possible seven-game series.
If this matchup is as even as our experts' predictions indicate, we'll need seven games to decide the National League champion.