The Dodgers vs Brewers NLCS Game 1 begins Sunday at American Family Field in Milwaukee, reuniting the National League’s only two 100-win teams from the 2026 regular season. Los Angeles enters at 100-62 and Milwaukee at 103-59, a rematch of last October’s NLCS, when the Dodgers swept the Brewers 4-0 and outscored them 15-4. This is the third NLCS meeting between the clubs since 2018 and the second straight year they have met at this stage.
Both teams arrive with equal rest. The Dodgers closed out the Braves in five games on Wednesday, and the Brewers finished off the Padres in four games the same night, so neither side has had to juggle a shortened turnaround. Milwaukee actually beat Los Angeles 4-3 in their 2026 regular-season series, a detail that cuts against the idea that the Dodgers simply have the Brewers’ number, even after last year’s sweep. Los Angeles is also chasing history: a win in this series would put the Dodgers on track to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series titles.
NLCS Game 1 Information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV/Streaming: Fox, FS1, ERADM
- Series: NLCS Game 1, series starts 10/11
- Weather: 67 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation
Dodgers Outlook
Los Angeles reached the NLCS by beating the Braves 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday, with Andy Pages delivering a bases-loaded, two-run single in the seventh inning to break the game open. “I’ve been preparing myself all series for a moment like that, give myself an opportunity, get a good pitch to hit. And luckily I was able to put a good swing on a pitch,” Pages said after the win, according to CBS Sports. Max Muncy added a solo homer off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth, stretching his franchise postseason home run record to 19.
Tarik Skubal is projected to start Game 1 for Los Angeles after posting a 1.50 ERA with a 1-0 postseason record, per the official data. The Dodgers have compiled a 2.00 team ERA and a 1.00 WHIP across their four postseason games, with an opponent batting average of just .145. Shohei Ohtani leads the club with 30 home runs on the season, and Freddie Freeman paces the lineup with a .288 average. Miguel Rojas remains day-to-day with a lower back issue and was unavailable off the bench in the division series, a status the Dodgers will monitor entering this round, according to CBS Sports.
Brewers Outlook
Milwaukee punched its ticket with a 3-1 win over San Diego in Game 4 on Wednesday, capping a five-game winning streak that includes three wins over the Padres in their last five outings. The Brewers posted a 1.80 team ERA this postseason with a .181 opponent batting average, numbers that reflect a pitching staff that has carried the club through October. Brice Turang leads Milwaukee with 100 RBIs and a team-best 557.8 MLB rating, while Jackson Chourio tops the batting average column at .291.
Jacob Misiorowski is projected to start Game 1 for Milwaukee carrying a 4.50 ERA this postseason, a steeper number than Skubal’s across the mound matchup. The Brewers’ bullpen has been thinned by injuries, with Grant Anderson, Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Angel Zerpa and Brian Fitzpatrick all on the injured list, according to the official data. Milwaukee’s lineup has still managed a .250 postseason average and an .688 OPS despite that pitching attrition.
Key Matchup
The opening pitching matchup pits Skubal’s 1.50 postseason ERA against Misiorowski’s 4.50, a gap that lines up with the Dodgers’ broader statistical edge on the mound this October. Los Angeles has struck out batters at a 9.8-per-nine clip compared to Milwaukee’s 8.2, and the Dodgers have logged two quality starts this postseason to the Brewers’ zero. Milwaukee will need its offense, which has outhit the Dodgers at a .250 clip against a .203 mark for Los Angeles, to produce early runs and take pressure off a bullpen already down several arms. How Milwaukee’s lineup handles Skubal in the early innings could determine whether its pitching staff is forced into extended work behind him.
Players To Watch
Andy Pages, OF, Dodgers
Pages drove in the go-ahead runs in the series-clinching win over Atlanta after hitting just .078 in last year’s postseason, a stretch that cost him his starting outfield job before the Dodgers won the World Series. His performance against the Braves marks a turnaround worth tracking as the Dodgers open a new series.
Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers
Muncy’s ninth-inning homer in Game 5 pushed his franchise postseason home run record to 19, adding to a track record of delivering in October for Los Angeles.
Brice Turang, 2B, Brewers
Turang leads Milwaukee in RBIs with 100 and carries the team’s top MLB rating at 557.8, making him the offensive engine the Brewers will lean on against a deep Dodgers pitching staff.
What To Watch
Los Angeles is pursuing a third straight World Series title, a feat no National League team has accomplished, while Milwaukee is looking to avoid a repeat of last year’s sweep in this same round. The Brewers took the regular-season series 4-3, evidence this matchup is closer than last October’s result suggested. Game 2 follows Monday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. ET, also at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
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