The NLCS starts Sunday, and for the second year in a row, it will be a matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The NLCS is a seven-game series, split two-three-two between the home and away teams. The series will run Sunday, October 11, through, potentially, Monday, October 19.
Let’s take a look at some key storylines and players to keep an eye on during the 2026 NLCS.
The Brewers come off a nail-biter of an NLDS, defeating the San Diego Padres 3-1. All four games were decided by two runs or fewer, and three of the four were one-run contests. The Brewers won the first two at home, and then game four in San Diego. Their bullpen was the highlight of the series, allowing one run over 19 innings in relief. That one run was a solo home run by Jake Cronenworth off JoJo Romero in game three. Not only has the bullpen been fantastic, but they are relatively rested. Three of the arms on the DS roster, Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and Chad Patrick, never saw the mound in the series, while Pat Murphy did a good job of spreading the workload around among the others.
Los Angeles had a relatively easy time with an exhausted-looking Atlanta Braves team. The Dodgers took the series 3-1, winning games one, three, and four. They hammered Atlanta with home runs, scoring 11 of their 14 runs via the long ball. As expected, they got solid appearances from each of their four starters, who then handed the ball off to a much-improved bullpen, notably Edwin Diaz, who has thrown very well since coming back from a stint in AAA. Something to watch going forward will be the health of Shohei Ohtani, who got moved down in the lineup during a series where he didn’t quite look like himself.
The Brewers did win the regular season series against the Dodgers. After dropping two of three in Milwaukee in May, the Brewers took three of four in Los Angeles in August. That may inspire confidence for some Brewers fans, but Milwaukee swept Los Angeles in the regular season last year before being swept in the NLCS by the Dodgers. The Brewers look to put that embarrassing 2025 series in the rearview mirror as they prepare for the Dodgers, who are trying to cruise to a three-peat.
Yelich was named the Brewers’ first-ever team captain coming into the playoffs. After a lackluster regular season at the plate, Yelich was one of the hottest bats against San Diego, hitting to a .357 average and a .900 OPS.
Mitchell had a very rough game at the plate during the Brewers’ loss in game three. He struck out three times and never looked like he saw the ball. After many fans called for him to be replaced in the lineup, he went 2-for-4, driving in the first run of the game. He also robbed what would have been a game-tying home run by Manny Machado in the eighth inning.
“Everyday Aaron” was the moniker given to Ashby throughout the 2026 season, as he was the most used pitcher out of the Milwaukee bullpen. He served a crucial role in the deciding game four, pitching three scoreless innings in relief of Robert Gasser to pick up the win.
Freeman is a professional hitter. He is never a guy to give away an at-bat, and his penchant for big swings in even bigger moments is one of his most valuable attributes. He will need to keep hitting at the top of the lineup for LA to get past a team like Milwaukee.
Hernandez has played 10 seasons with the Dodgers since 2015, and in that time, his regular season numbers never jump off the page. In the playoffs, though, Hernandez always finds a way to have an impact. This year is no exception, as he already hit a huge home run against Atlanta.
Yamamoto showed the world how great he can be in last year’s postseason. While he is a great pitcher in the regular season, something kicks up a notch for him when the calendar turns to October. He has already thrown seven strong innings in Atlanta, and he will likely throw many more before the playoffs are over.
The Brewers got socked in the teeth last October when they were swept without much issue by LA. That sweep mostly came down to a Brewers offense that was simply unable to put up any semblance of a fight against the Dodgers’ pitching. This season, they come in with more confidence, more belief, and more offensive firepower. They need to play Brewers baseball, stay hungry, and put as much pressure on the Dodgers as they can.
Los Angeles has four guys in their starting rotation that would be aces on many other teams. As they have done so often, they need to lean on those talented arms to shut down this Milwaukee attack. They did it last year, and that was before Tarik Skubal joined the ranks. Let those guys shove, and if they do, the Dodgers are set up nicely.
Not all of the official starting pitchers have been named as of now. These are probables based on the rotations of the teams.
MIL – Jacob Misiorowski
LAD – Tarik Skubal
MIL – Logan Henderson
LAD – Yosinobu Yamamoto
MIL – Robert Gasser
LAD – Blake Snell
MIL – Dustin May
LAD – Tyler Glasnow
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