The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. William Contreras hit a tying homer in the fifth inning and singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth.
Brewers' bullpen shuts down Dodgers
Four relievers combined to retire the last 15 Dodgers batters in order. The Brewers now lead the two-time defending World Series champions as the series heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday.
The Brewers are chasing their second pennant and first in the NL. They made their lone World Series appearance in 1982, when they were in the American League. The Dodgers are trying to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
Dodgers' offensive struggles continue
The Dodgers last rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a series in 2020, when they beat the Atlanta Braves in a seven-game NLCS before going on to win the World Series. They managed just three hits on Monday and went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position, dropping to 2 for 26 in those situations this postseason.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who entered 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 career playoff appearances, lasted just 2.2 innings for his shortest postseason start. “I don’t know the exact reason yet,” Yamamoto said after the game. “I need to check the videos and then I can reflect on what happened today.”
Contreras delivers in key moments
The Dodgers took the lead on three occasions in the first five innings. Milwaukee responded each time, the last coming when Contreras tied the game with a 436ft homer to center off Kris Bubic in the fifth.
The score was tied 4-4 when Milwaukee’s David Hamilton was hit by a pitch from Brock Stewart to lead off the sixth. Stewart’s pickoff throw went off the glove of first baseman Freddie Freeman and into foul territory for an error, advancing Hamilton to second. After Jackson Chourio grounded out, Stewart walked Brice Turang to face Contreras, who singled to left to bring home Hamilton with the go-ahead run. Turang and Jake Bauers added RBI singles in the eighth to extend Milwaukee’s lead.
Guardians take Game 1 of ALCS
In Monday’s other game, Nathaniel Lowe hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth inning, Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey hit solo homers off Drew Rasmussen, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.
Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca had RBI singles in the first off Foster Griffin and Cedric Mullins hit a solo homer for the Rays, who never trailed in a sweep of the New York Yankees in their AL Division Series. Game 2 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Rookie lefty Parker Messick starts for Cleveland, and right-hander Freddy Peralta takes the mound for the Rays.
Five relievers combined for five innings of one-run, two-hit ball for the Guardians, who became only the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series with a victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night. Cade Smith, who pitched in all five games against Chicago, tossed a perfect ninth.
Rasmussen took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before DeLauter led off with an opposite-field homer to left-center. Bailey started the seventh with a towering shot to center that went an estimated 436ft, ending Rasmussen’s night. Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
José Ramírez led off the eighth with an infield single off Tyler Wells, and DeLauter ripped a double to right. After Wells retired Jo Adell on a grounder to second, Ian Seymour entered. Lowe lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle to drive in two, giving Cleveland a 4-2 lead. Mullins connected off Erik Sabrowski in the bottom half.
Ramirez, whose two-run homer lifted Cleveland to a 2-0 win in Game 5 against Chicago, provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth off Cole Sulser. He helped the Guardians get two more by breaking for third with two outs and two strikes on Adell. Caminero ran to cover the bag and was out of position when Adell hit a sharp grounder toward third. The ball rolled into left field for a two-run double.
A crowd of 35,361 fans waved yellow rally towels and rang cowbells at Tropicana Field in the Rays’ third appearance in the ALCS in the franchise’s 29 season-history. The Rays jumped ahead 2-0 in the first and Rasmussen battled to keep it there until the sixth. Rasmussen went six-plus tough innings, allowing eight hits and striking out seven. Griffin allowed two runs and five hits in four innings.
The Rays allowed just 12 hits in three games against the Yankees but the Guardians got 14 in the series opener, including three apiece from Ramírez and DeLauter.
