MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in the opener of the National League Championship Series as they attempt to avenge last year’s sweep.
The Dodgers will counter with left-hander Tarik Skubal, the two-time American League Cy Young winner acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline while he also was being pursued by the Brewers.
The Dodgers, who held the Brewers to four runs in the NLCS last season en route to the World Series title, advanced to this NLCS by defeating Atlanta in four games in the NL Division Series.
In addition to last season’s pennant-winning sweep, the Dodgers won the previous two postseason matchups against the Brewers. The Dodgers swept the wild-card meeting in 2020, and took the NLCS in seven games in 2018.
“I think every team is different. Each year it’s a different group of guys,” said Christian Yelich, who joined the Brewers in 2018 in a trade with Miami. “Previous seasons don’t really have any impact on the current one and the outcome of previous seasons doesn’t — it has nothing to do with what’s going to happen in the upcoming series.”
Milwaukee, which won its fourth consecutive NL Central title along with homefield advantage throughout the postseason by winning a franchise-record 103 games, defeated San Diego in four games in the NLDS. The Brewers won the final game 3-1, which snapped a major-league-tying streak of 12 consecutive road playoff losses.
The Brewers’ victory over San Diego was the first postseason series of at least three games since the 1915 World Series (Red Sox-Phillies) where neither team led by more than two runs.
Misiorowski (16-5), whose 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts were best in the majors, struggled in his Game 1 start against San Diego in the NLDS. He allowed two runs on four hits, but needed 88 pitches to get through four innings in a game the Brewers rallied to win 3-2.
The 24-year-old Misiorowski, who threw well over 1,000 pitches this season at more than 100 mph, is 2-0 with a 1.50 in two career regular-season starts versus the Dodgers, allowing one run in each six-inning outing with 18 strikeouts. He faced the Dodgers once this season, getting the victory in a 4-1 win on Aug. 15 when the Brewers took three of four games in Los Angeles.
“I don’t know if there’s an advantage to already seeing him,” said Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. “It’s very fast. Everything’s coming at you very fast. It’s big-time extension, big guy on the mound. You have to be ready to go in the box. I guess maybe you can say, having seen it once, you kind of understand what it’s like.”
Misiorowski took a loss in relief last season in the NLCS against the Dodgers, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings with nine strikeouts.
“Going into last year’s postseason, I didn’t know if I was going to be on the roster,” said Misiorowski, the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it and help the team. This year they trust me a little bit more. So, it’s a little easier to get behind yourself.”
Skubal (12-7, 2.72 ERA) was 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 regular-season starts with Los Angeles. In his first postseason start with the Dodgers, Skubal allowed one run on two hits in six innings in a 5-3 victory over Atlanta in the opener of the NLDS.
Skubal is 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA in four regular-season starts versus the Brewers, but 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts against them this season. He has not allowed a home run against Milwaukee in 25 2/3 innings.
–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
