Brewers beat Dodgers 7-4 to take 2-0 NLCS lead
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday to take a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. William Contreras hit a tying homer in the fifth and drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth, and four relievers retired the last 15 Dodgers in order. Game 3 is Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Milwaukee beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as it moves to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday, the AP reported.
The Dodgers took the lead three times in the first five innings, and Milwaukee answered each time. William Contreras tied the game with a 436-foot homer to center off reliever Kris Bubic in the fifth, and an inning later he singled to left to score David Hamilton with the go-ahead run. Brice Turang and Jake Bauers added RBI singles in the eighth.
Contreras went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, theScore reported, and he became the fourth player ever with three tying or go-ahead RBI hits in a playoff game.
A long at-bat in the third swung the night. With Milwaukee down 2-1, Bauers fought Yoshinobu Yamamoto for 12 pitches and drew a walk to load the bases, and Christian Yelich then lined a two-run single up the middle. That knocked Yamamoto out after just eight outs, the shortest postseason start of his career, even though he came in 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 playoff games. "Just wasn't sharp today," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to the AP.
From there, the Brewers bullpen took over. Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby set down the last 15 Dodgers in order, which MLB.com said is the most innings by a bullpen, all perfect, in a postseason game. Brewers relievers have now allowed one earned run in 28 2/3 innings this postseason.
Los Angeles managed just three hits and went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position, while Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, theScore reported. Brewers starter Logan Henderson gave up four runs, two of them earned, in four innings, partly because he made two errors on throws to first base.
Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 2-0 have gone on to win it 79 times in 95 tries, MLB.com noted. The Dodgers, winners of the last two World Series, last came back from a 2-0 hole in the 2020 NLCS against Atlanta. Blake Snell will start Game 3 for Los Angeles, and Robert Gasser will start for Milwaukee, theScore reported. "I'm not going to think about anything but the next game," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, MLB.com reported.
What we know: Milwaukee leads the series 2-0 after rallying from three deficits and getting five perfect innings from its bullpen.
What we don't: Whether the Dodgers' bats, held to three hits, can wake up at home in Game 3.
Where outlets agree The AP and theScore both report that Contreras homered to tie the game, singled in the go-ahead run and helped Milwaukee win 7-4 for a 2-0 series lead.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.