MILWAUKEE — William Contreras drove in three runs with three separate hits and the Milwaukee bullpen shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers over the final five innings as the Brewers earned a 7-4 victory in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday afternoon.
With the win at American Family Field, the Brewers took a 2-0 series lead over the two-time defending World Series champions, according to The Associated Press. Milwaukee is seeking its second pennant in franchise history and its first since moving to the National League.
Contreras Powers Milwaukee Attack
Contreras sparked the offense throughout a back-and-forth contest that featured four lead changes. The Milwaukee catcher leveled the score in the opening frame with an RBI single off Los Angeles starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, then tied the contest again at 4-4 in the fifth inning with a 436-foot solo blast off left-hander Kris Bubic, AP reported.
Sports Illustrated noted that the fifth-inning blast tied Contreras with teammate Jackson Chourio for the most postseason home runs in Milwaukee history with five. An inning later, Contreras struck again, knocking a go-ahead single into left field off Dodgers reliever Brock Stewart to bring home David Hamilton.
Contreras finished the afternoon with three of Milwaukee’s 12 hits, according to The Big Lead. Brice Turang and Jake Bauers provided late insurance with run-scoring singles in the eighth inning.
Pitching Troubles for Yamamoto
Yamamoto, who entered Monday with an 8-1 postseason record and a 2.14 ERA across 11 playoff appearances, struggled to find an early rhythm, SB Nation reported. The right-hander needed 75 pitches to record eight outs, marking the shortest of his 11 playoff starts with Los Angeles.
The critical blow came in the third inning after Bauers fouled off six two-strike deliveries during a 12-pitch plate appearance to draw a two-out walk and load the bases. Christian Yelich followed with a two-run single up the middle, knocking Yamamoto out of the game and giving Milwaukee a 3-2 edge.
Brewers starter Logan Henderson also endured a shaky outing, allowing four runs — two earned — over four innings while committing two throwing errors and throwing a wild pitch, AP reported. Henderson made errant pickoff and bunt-fielding throws that allowed Tommy Edman and Kyle Tucker to score for Los Angeles.
Dodgers Bats Fall Silent
Despite capitalising on Henderson’s miscues, the Los Angeles lineup went cold once the Milwaukee bullpen took over. Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined to retire all 15 batters they faced, AP reported. Romero earned the victory and Ashby closed out the game for the save.
The Dodgers finished with only three hits, going hitless in four at-bats with runners in scoring position to slide to 2-for-26 in such situations during the 2026 postseason, SB Nation reported. Key sluggers continued to struggle: Shohei Ohtani went hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts, while Will Smith also went 0-for-4.
The best-of-seven series now travels to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday evening. Left-hander Robert Gasser is scheduled to start on the mound for Milwaukee, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had not officially confirmed his starter as of Monday, according to reports.
