Start the 2018 National League Championship Series, Brewers vs. Dodgers on the court of Miller Park for the first game of a series that looks pretty even.
The home team, Milwaukee, is inspired after stealing the Central Division from the Chicago Cubs and mopping Colorado in the division series. Brewers coach Craig Counsell sends Gio Gonzalez to the mound after failing to pitch in the last three games against the Colorado Rockies. Gonzalez has emerged victorious in his 5 starts of the season, however, against the Dodgers he had no participation and we know that the opponent is a tough nut to crack.
The Brewers are presented to their people with a streak of 11 consecutive victories and the highest record of wins in the National League, most of them playing at home, with 51 wins and 30 setbacks.
Throughout the regular season the Dodgers added 91 games won and 71 lost, representing 13 more defeats than last season, they even had to play a tiebreaker game against the Rockies to get their sixth consecutive title of the Western Division . For a team that has a tremendous level of payroll and talent, these results represent a regular campaign.
For this series start the Los Angeles team comes in good form, they have won 7 of their last 8 games and present Clayton Kershaw as a starter after a great performance in Game 2 of the divisional series against the Braves. Kershaw has started against the Brewers twice this season and has had mixed results with a 2.25 ERA.
This is the 12th playoff appearance of the Dodgers, and the 6th in a row, however, they have not won the World Series since 1988, and now they are in for a series of redemption after losing last year’s final against the current champions. Astros of Houston.
On the other hand, the Brewers are not those teams that normally reach this phase of the tournament, it is their 5th appearance in the playoffs throughout history, and from 1982 to 2008 they did not manage to go beyond the regular season, so we do not know what Expect them from the pressure. It is clear that they are going through a good time and will not let these games go so easily.
As we have seen, Milwaukee has had a dream season and its players have given their all, but the Dodgers are one of the most talented teams of recent times in MLB. Both come on a roll, but the local factor suggests that the Brewers could start the series on the right foot.