MILWAUKEE — Facing one of baseball’s premier postseason pitchers, the Milwaukee Brewers proved on Monday that plate discipline can dismantle even the most formidable ace. Milwaukee grounded out a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field, using methodical, prolonged at-bats to chase right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto after just 2 2/3 innings.
The victory gave Milwaukee a 2-0 series lead over the defending World Series champions, marking the first time since 2023 that Los Angeles has dropped the first two games of a postseason series, according to Yahoo Sports. Yamamoto, who carried a 2.14 ERA across 11 career postseason outings, surrendered three runs, four hits and two walks while throwing 75 pitches to record only eight outs.
The anatomy of an unraveling
Yamamoto entered the matchup with a sterling playoff pedigree, having tossed a complete game in Game 2 of the 2025 NLCS and earned World Series Most Valuable Player honors that same autumn, The Sporting News reported. Yet Milwaukee’s game plan immediately disrupted his rhythm by forcing extended confrontations.
Yamamoto threw 25 pitches in the first inning alone, an opening frame punctuated by an RBI single from catcher William Contreras. The game turned entirely in the bottom of the third inning. After David Hamilton singled and Brice Turang battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk, Yamamoto attempted to challenge the final ball call but was denied, appearing frustrated on the mound, the New York Post reported.
The sequence peaked with a grueling 12-pitch plate appearance by Jake Bauers with two outs. Bauers worked a full count and subsequently spoiled six consecutive pitches in multiple locations of the strike zone. On the final pitch, Bauers took a curveball in the dirt for a bases-loading walk, Yahoo Sports reported. Christian Yelich followed on the next at-bat by driving a two-run single on the second pitch he saw, handing Milwaukee a 3-2 advantage.
“I felt we had to stop the damage right there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during a television broadcast interview, explaining his decision to summon reliever Alex Vesia.
Why Milwaukee’s offense breaks conventions
The Brewers’ approach reflected a strategy that made them the second-highest scoring team in Major League Baseball during the regular season despite ranking 28th in home runs, Yahoo Sports noted. Rather than relying on raw power, Milwaukee emphasized pitch counts and base traffic. Eleven of the 14 batters Yamamoto faced worked at least four pitches, according to Yahoo Sports.
After the game, Yamamoto admitted uncertainty regarding the rapid breakdown, noting he had hoped to work through the third inning. “I don’t know the exact reason yet, I need to check the videos on what happened today,” Yamamoto said, per the New York Post. The 2 2/3-inning outing tied the shortest postseason start of his career, matching his relief appearance to close Game 7 of the 2025 World Series and falling short of his three-inning playoff debut against the San Diego Padres in 2024, The Sporting News reported.
The Brewers preserved their momentum against the Los Angeles bullpen, eventually forcing the Dodgers to use eight different pitchers. Contreras paced Milwaukee with three hits, three RBIs and a solo home run, while Hamilton, Turang and Contreras combined to score all seven Brewers runs after reaching base four times apiece.
What happens next
The NLCS now shifts to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday, with Los Angeles facing an uphill climb to defend its title. The Dodgers must determine how to stabilize their pitching staff after leaning heavily on their bullpen in consecutive losses. Meanwhile, the Brewers will look to prove their patient offensive formula can remain equally effective on the road as they attempt to capture the National League pennant.
