Dodgers Face Formidable Hurdle in Brewers' Ace Misiorowski in NLCS Game 1
Los Angeles' offense struggles to find momentum against Milwaukee's top pitcher.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the verge of another World Series appearance, but their path forward in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) begins with a significant challenge: Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski.
Misiorowski, a 24-year-old flamethrower, has established himself as one of the league's premier pitchers this season. He led Major League Baseball with a 1.80 earned run average (ERA), 252 strikeouts, and a 0.80 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). His performance has been a cornerstone of the Brewers' success.
The Dodgers' offense, which has not been consistently potent throughout the postseason, faces a particularly difficult matchup against Misiorowski. In three career appearances against Los Angeles, including two regular-season starts, Misiorowski has allowed just three earned runs over 17 innings pitched, striking out 27 batters.
While Shohei Ohtani has historically found some success against Misiorowski, hitting a home run and a triple against him, Ohtani's current performance raises concerns. He has been hampered by lingering biceps and knee injuries, which have reportedly impacted his offensive output. His recent statistics, including a .154 batting average against the Braves in the NLDS and .157 over his final 18 regular-season games, suggest he is not at his usual dominant level.
The rest of the Dodgers' lineup has also struggled to generate consistent scoring. Despite eliminating Atlanta in four games, the team scored only 14 runs in the series and converted just one out of 23 opportunities with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers have not scored more than five runs in any of their last nine games dating back to September, averaging only 3.1 runs per game during this stretch.
Given Misiorowski's dominant season and the Dodgers' recent offensive struggles, particularly against elite pitching, expectations for the Dodgers' scoring in Game 1 are tempered. One projection suggests betting the Dodgers' team total under 2.5 runs, with odds of +115 available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
