NLCS Preview: Dodgers vs. Brewers – Path to the World Series

The 2026 National League Championship Series is set -- and we've got a meeting of the NL's top two teams.

Hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced with a win over the Atlanta Braves , the Milwaukee Brewers set up a rematch of last year's NLCS by knocking out the San Diego Padres .

What has stood out about both teams so far? What does each need to do to punch a ticket to the Fall Classic? And who are the X factors on each roster? Our ESPN MLB experts break it all down.

Note: Matchup odds come from Bradford Doolittle's formula using power ratings as the basis for 10,000 simulations to determine the most likely outcomes. Team temperatures are based on Bill James' formula for determining how "hot" or "cold" a team is at any given point; the average is 72 degrees.

This rematch is a year in the making -- a year in which the Dodgers' core of stars somewhat slowed down and the Brewers' young foundation coalesced into baseball's best team. During the Dodgers' four-game sweep in the 2025 NLCS, the Brewers scored four total runs. There's not much more you need to know about Milwaukee's challenge in the next round.

Can an improved version of the same style of offense that faltered against the Dodgers a year ago finally get the Brewers over the top? Runs will be hard to come by for both teams -- and for every team left in the playoffs. But Milwaukee needs to get to four runs at least four times. If they can do that, they can send the Dodgers packing.

No. 1-seeded Brewers' concern level: This is the third time in the past nine seasons that the Brewers have advanced to the NLCS, still seeking their first World Series appearance since 1982. Both previous times, the Dodgers slammed the door on Milwaukee, taking seven games to do so in 2018 and just four a year ago. On paper, the Brewers look like a virtual even match against the two-time champions. Pennants aren't won on paper, though, and given the history of this rivalry, it's safe to say the Brewers are all too aware of what confronts them. -- Bradford Doolittle

Odds of advancing: 49%

Team temperature: 113 degrees

What stood out most as the Brewers downed the Padres in the NL Division Series?

Besides their ability to detect -- or so it seemed -- that Mason Miller was tipping his pitches in Game 2? Maybe that the Brewers won this series without playing their best baseball. In Game 1, San Diego did a great job of battling Jacob Misiorowski , fouling off 30 pitches to run up his pitch count and knock him out after just four innings, not exactly what you want from your ace. Closer Trevor Megill was then perhaps saved by the roof on Ty France 's potential game-winning home run. In Game 2, the Brewers made three errors, leading to two unearned runs, but held on for another one-run victory. They lost Game 3 when Cooper Pratt 's throwing error allowed another unearned run to score. And Milwaukee still advanced.

Which World Series contenders must win now -- or else? Bradford Doolittle &#187

Why will it (or won't it) work against the Dodgers in the NLCS?

It won't. The Brewers are usually an excellent defensive team, but giving the Dodgers too many extra outs is certainly a path to defeat. They'll need Misiorowski at the top of his game -- and pitching more than four innings in his starts.

While Milwaukee's deep bullpen is an obvious strength, and its deep repertoire of left-handers will come in handy against Freddie Freeman , Shohei Ohtani , Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy , the plan is to rely heavily on the bullpen in the games Misiorowski doesn't start. The 11 swinging strikes he recorded in Game 1 matched his third lowest of the season (and one of the lower ones was his abbreviated three-inning start at regular season's end). Beating the Padres in four games and electing not to use Misiorowski in Game 4 worked out perfectly, as he'll be starting Game 1 on seven days of rest.

Which one player is the X factor who can make (or break) Milwaukee's World Series hopes?

Christian Yelich had gone 19 postseason games without an RBI before finally delivering a run-scoring single in Game 3. He is on the downside of his career, but he's still hitting in the middle of the order. William Contreras and Jackson Chourio can't be the only power sources, so Yelich -- and we'll throw Jake Bauers in here, as well -- is going to have to step up; if not hitting some home runs, then at least driving in runs when the opportunities arise. -- David Schoenfield

Odds of advancing: 51%

Team temperature: 106 degrees

What stood out most as the Dodgers rolled past the Braves in the NLDS?

Their ability to overcome. It seemed as if Atlanta had taken the advantage by winning a bullpen game and leaving Chris Sale fresh for a Game 3 start at home. It was barely a month ago that Sale twirled a shutout against the Dodgers. But this time, L.A. wore him down, getting him out of the game after just five innings and riding a dominant Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a much-needed victory. It changed the complexion of the series, and it emphasized something important about these Dodgers: They know how to navigate this stage as well as anyone. Yes, they're loaded with stars. They're deep too. But they've also played a lot of postseason games together over these past few years.

Who will be the last team standing in October?

Predictions &#187

Why will it (or won't it) work against the Brewers in the NLCS?

L.A. won't be able to rely on that edge, because the Brewers are just as battle-tested, if not more so. Consider: Milwaukee overcame multirun deficits in each of the first two games of their NLDS against the Padres. Throughout the season, the Brewers are 37-37 when the opposing team scores a game's first run, the best record in that scenario since the 2009 New York Yankees , a team that won the World Series. The Brewers are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year and the eighth time in the past nine seasons. Milwaukee has grown together, fought together. And it is not going to let itself get embarrassed by the Dodgers like it did last October.

Which one player is the X factor who can make (or break) L.A.'s World Series hopes?

A year ago when these two teams faced off in the NLCS, Shohei Ohtani put together arguably the greatest single-game performance in baseball history, clobbering three home runs and striking out 10 batters in six scoreless innings in Game 4 to clinch a sweep. Ohtani isn't pitching in this year's postseason, but the Dodgers need something closer to that version of him offensively.

They might have the talent to survive a round without Ohtani at his best, but not all of them. And perhaps not this one. The Brewers are deeper and better than the Braves. Milwaukee's bullpen is at least as good. And while the Braves have a bona fide ace, the Brewers have two of them. To make it back to the World Series, Ohtani is going to have to come alive. -- Alden Gonzalez

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/50125045/mlb-playoffs-2026-first-look-preview-alcs-nlcs-reach-world-series)._