Brewers/Dodgers NLCS - Game 4 Friday - 7:38PM CST

[Thunder Muscle]

Relieved to beat the Cubs BUT really would love to see a World Series. I know everyone was on LA after they dominated Cincy and took out Philly in 4, but they are slightly more vulnerable, right? The pen has been suspect, seems like some guys regressed offensively this year (Betts, Teoscar H). I do feel if our pitching holds up, that we can compete. We’ll see. This is truly a David vs Goliath on paper.

[HKPackFan]

Going 6-0 against the Dodgers in the regular season is not nothing. This Dodgers team wins total going into the season was 103.5, and some talking heads were saying stupid things like 120 wins. Brewers win total was 83.5, sort of what Murphy has been pointing out lately, more or less.

The betting line on the Dodgers winning this series strikes me as a little confirmation bias from these long-ago assessments. The reality of this Dodgers team is underperformance and inconsistency. They're pretty good, but there's a reason this series starts in Milwaukee and not LA.

Brewers in 6.

Agreed. home field advantage is real and the entire city of Milwaukee is feeling something different about this team. I think that home crowd energy, a team with a bunch of young players with something to prove and now some confidence is an excellent recipe to take down the former champs.

[coolhandluke121]

I know everyone was on LA after they dominated Cincy and took out Philly in 4, but they are slightly more vulnerable, right? The pen has been suspect, seems like some guys regressed offensively this year (Betts, Teoscar H). I do feel if our pitching holds up, that we can compete. We’ll see. This is truly a David vs Goliath on paper.

Betts had a long slump, but that has long since ended. I would argue that Teoscar has officially broken out of his slump as well. Neither one had a great season overall, but they both have an OPS over 1.000 in the playoffs. Freeman had a .678 OPS in July, when the Brewers played all of their games against LAD, but he's back to being Freeman now.

Will Smith is back and got his reps in after recovering from a hairline fracture in his hand. Max Muncy is back and producing - I think he missed all of the games against the Brewers. Ohtani is able to give them lots of innings now - I don't think he pitched at all against the Brewers in the regular season. I don't think Snell did either. The Brewers were mostly beating up on Kershaw and Glasnow, with one win against Yamamoto. The Dodgers probably won't have to use Glasnow much in this series, and Kershaw will be a garbage man.

Ohtani is in a brutal hitting slump, but then again so are some of the pitchers who will be facing him. The Dodgers hit fastballs really well, and many Brewers are vulnerable against power hitters, as we saw against the Cubs. I've been generally optimistic about the Brewers through it all and I still think they're an above average contender, but the Dodgers are starting to look like what we thought/feared they would be all along. So be it. As long as the Brewers don't play intimidated or scared, I'll be happy.

[Kerb Hohl]

The Dodgers can do this thing where they just slowly bring their juggernaut along throughout the season giving all of their pitchers a month off to nurse little injuries, maybe gambling on losing the division...so that they can be relatively healthy for the playoffs.

This is basically the same thing as 2018. The Brewers are the "#1 seed" but huge underdogs in Vegas. Whatever, I'll take it.

[Ron Swanson]

If they beat this Dodgers team then they're winning it all. It's time.

[Thunder Muscle]

I just hope to avoid laying a huge egg tonight. That last series was so intense that sometimes its hard to flip that switch back on a day later. Will be interesting.

Assume series rosters will come out soon.

[jakecronus8]

House money and the fact that everyone outside of California and Illinois (maybe Iowa) will be rooting for Milwaukee makes this a potentially fun series.

I think they probably go down in 5 or 6 but who knows. Maybe the winless regular season thing gives them some sort of mental advanatage.

Lastly, 2-3-2 is one of the dumbest things in sports. Insane that MLB still has this.

[Ron Swanson]

House money and the fact that everyone outside of California and Illinois (maybe Iowa) will be rooting for Milwaukee makes this a potentially fun series.

I think they probably go down in 5 or 6 but who knows. Maybe the winless regular season thing gives them some sort of mental advanatage.

Lastly, 2-3-2 is one of the dumbest things in sports. Insane that MLB still has this.

Absolutely this. NBA rightfully scrapped it after it was clear as day it gave way too big an advantage to the lower seed. No idea why baseball thinks it makes sense.

[MickeyDavis]

Agreed. It's not like they fly commercial. An extra off day is no big deal. MLB is dumb in so many ways.

[Bucks4005]

Agreed. It's not like they fly commercial. An extra off day is no big deal. MLB is dumb in so many ways.

Only thing I can think of is if they want traveling fans to have those 3 games/days fit into as a single trip. Like, your flying out to LA for the game, it’s all one trip, the fans themselves don’t have to go back and forth.

[coolhandluke121]

Agreed. It's not like they fly commercial. An extra off day is no big deal. MLB is dumb in so many ways.

Only thing I can think of is if they want traveling fans to have those 3 games/days fit into as a single trip. Like, your flying out to LA for the game, it’s all one trip, the fans themselves don’t have to go back and forth.

It also makes the postseason a little more like the regular season. With fewer travel days, you need pitching depth. When you have more travel days, big market teams that can just buy two aces and an elite closer and then use them in a higher percentage of their games in the postseason probably have an advantage, regardless of how effective and innovative they are in winning regular season games on the margins.

If Woodruff were healthy, less rest would favor the Brewers and their much deeper, better bullpen. As it stands now, I'm very concerned about the Brewers' rotation regardless of the schedule, which could neutralize the bullpen advantage and then some. Even Peralta has been shaky, with 3 HR's and 5 BB's in less than 10 IP's.

[coolhandluke121]

Dodgers replaced 3rd catcher/utility man Dalton Rushing with pitcher Casparius. Makes sense since Will Smith is fully healthy.

Can't find an official Brewers update, but the Logan Henderson speculation intrigues me.

[sidney lanier]

I feel like today calls for something bigger than a limerick. Maybe a villanelle.

Do not go gentle into AmFam Field,
Short guys should swing away with all their might;
Rake, rake and make the Dodgers yelp and yield.

Although the odds make things look signed and sealed,
They underestimate your grit and fight;
Do not go gentle into AmFam Field.

Yount, Molitor, and Gantner never kneeled,
They fought for what they knew was in their sight;
Rake, rake and make the Dodgers yelp and yield.

Against the odds your will should now be steeled,
Big-money teams see winning as their right;
Do not go gentle into AmFam Field.

Free agents and big bucks to some appealed,
You do it with castoffs and appetite;
Rake, rake and make the Dodgers yelp and yield.

Turang, Vaughn, Chourio have power to wield,
On this big stage send dingers through the night.
Do not go gentle into AmFam Field.
Rake, rake and make the Dodgers yelp and yield.

[Matches Malone]

Read on Twitter

[MickeyDavis]

Myers for Mears and Lockridge still on the roster? "He's fast". So what. I would have kept an extra pitcher.

[coolhandluke121]

Murphy said "we can't shed a position player right now." I truly don't get it with Lockridge. They have a lot of outfielders and a lot of team speed already.

Mears is the one who lost his spot to Myers. I don't know if he's slightly hurt, but I'm guessing that the main reason is that he doesn't face more than a few batters at a time.

Hall must not be ready if Gasser continues to get his spot. Henderson was a longshot.

[Thunder Muscle]

I did think Hall would replace Gasser but assume don’t trust he stays healthy maybe. Also just seems like they’re valuing the guys that can go multiple innings. I don’t have a ton of faith in Gasser post injury but assume his role will be innings eater if we’re getting piss pounded.

[coolhandluke121]

I'm predicting a Koenig 1st inning. Don't why I didn't see it before, but he hasn't pitched in 4 5 days and the Dodgers always have Ohtani and Freeman in the top 4 of the order, and usually top 3. If they move Freeman to 4th and Muncy down even more just to avoid an LHP, that's a victory in and of itself because they risk getting one less plate appearance.

[ReasonablySober]

Ashby starting.

*gulp*

[jakecronus8]

They were finally able to not give up a 1st inning homer in game 5. Made it all the way to the 2nd. Baby steps. Keep them homerless until the third. This is how we build it.