The Brewers are back in the NLCS, with a familiar opponent looming.
On Saturday night, Milwaukee finally got over the hump with a cathartic victory in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The Brewers snapped a streak of six consecutive postseason series losses -- a spell that began at the hands of the Dodgers in the 2018 NLCS.
Seven years later, Milwaukee will host Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday (8:08 p.m. ET on FOX).
The Brewers are vying for their first pennant since 1982, which also marks the franchise's only appearance in the Fall Classic. They are one of five teams without a World Series championship, a dubious distinction which, of course, the Dodgers don't know much about. L.A. is still humming in its title defense, having won consecutive playoff series to kickstart another deep foray through October.
We asked a number of MLB.com experts to make their predictions on how the NLCS will unfold. Check out their picks for the series below.
Dodgers (No. 3 seed) vs. Brewers (No. 1 seed)
The pick: Dodgers (21 of 26 votes, 81%)
Befitting a team that calls Hollywood home, the Dodgers are loaded with stars. That's nothing new. Star power -- from Shohei Ohtani to Freddie Freeman -- propelled L.A. to a World Series title last year.
What is new, however, is that the Dodgers are capable of winning games in spite of their offense (which, it should be noted, still ranked second in the Majors in runs per game). L.A.'s starting rotation closed the regular season on a historic run, and the unit hasn't looked back since.
Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto carved through the Reds lineup in the Wild Card Series. Ohtani -- making his playoff pitching debut -- and Tyler Glasnow joined the party in the NLDS, helping the Dodgers eliminate the Phillies even as their offense slumped.
The NLCS matchup presents a different kind of challenge. The Brewers may not tout many household names, but they won 97 games in the regular season, including all six head-to-head meetings with the Dodgers. They scored the third-most runs in the Majors, doing so in relentless fashion, capitalizing on every small mistake by their opponent. Not to mention, Pat Murphy's team is brimming with confidence, having exorcised longstanding playoff demons in the NLDS.
Why they'll win
- "The Dodgers are built for October. Their target back in February wasn't getting into the playoffs, but winning it all. They are ready." -- Scott Merkin, senior club reporter
- "Being able to set their rotation will be a huge boost for the Dodgers, as will Roki Sasaki, who seems to be the solution to their late-game bullpen woes." -- Matt Meyers, vice president, content
- "How good are the Dodgers right now? They just rolled past the formidable Phillies with basically no offensive contribution from Shohei Ohtani. He's obviously going to be better in this series, and that's bad news for the Brewers." -- Brian Murphy, reporter
The dissenting view
- "Every time the Brewers are counted out, they find a way to win. This will be no different." -- Mark Feinsand, senior national reporter
- "The Brewers are not intimidated by the Dodgers, and their success against them in the regular season was not a fluke." -- Jason Foster, writer/researcher
- "The late-game at-bats should win games late against a susceptible bullpen." -- Thomas Harding, senior club reporter
Series predictions
Dodgers (6 games): 11 votes
Dodgers (5 games): 6 votes
Dodgers (7 games): 4 votes
Brewers (7 games): 3 votes
Brewers (6 games): 2 votes
Who will be named NLCS MVP?
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 5 votes
Mookie Betts (LAD): 4 votes
Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 3 votes
Roki Sasaki (LAD): 3 votes
Freddie Freeman (LAD): 2 votes
William Contreras (MIL): 2 votes
Blake Snell (LAD): 1 vote
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD): 1 vote
Tyler Glasnow (LAD): 1 vote
Kiké Hernández (LAD): 1 vote
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 1 vote
Christian Yelich (MIL): 1 vote
Brice Turang (MIL): 1 vote
While the vast majority of our experts think the Dodgers will win the NLCS, the topic of NLCS Most Valuable Player inspired more of a debate. Nine L.A. players received votes, ranging from relief ace Roki Sasaki to postseason legend Kiké Hernández. In the end, Ohtani leads the field.
Since launching two home runs in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, Ohtani is just 2-for-22 in his second postseason. He had just one hit in the NLDS, stymied by the Phillies’ swarm of tough left-handers. On paper, the two-way star should have a more favorable matchup against a Brewers team that is more reliant on righties. Not to mention, Ohtani could be positioned to make multiple starts on the mound, after earning a win in his postseason pitching debut in Game 1 of the NLDS.
"He'll wake up after a relatively quiet NLDS in a big way," said club reporter Martín Gallegos.
Four Brewers received votes, with William Contreras the only player to receive multiple tallies.