William Contreras drives in three runs as Milwaukee rallies from three deficits, while five perfect relief innings put the Brewers two victories away from the World Series.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday, October 12, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven baseball series. William Contreras delivered three hits and three RBIs as Milwaukee overcame three separate deficits at American Family Field.
The Brewers moved within two victories of their first World Series appearance since 1982. Their bullpen retired all 15 batters it faced over the final five innings, preventing the defending champions from mounting another comeback.
Contreras was the central figure in Milwaukee’s victory. The catcher drove in a run with a first-inning single, tied the game with a fifth-inning home run and delivered the winning run with another single in the sixth.
Los Angeles took an early lead when Teoscar Hernández hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Milwaukee answered in the bottom half when Contreras singled home a run against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Dodgers reclaimed the lead in the third inning after a throwing error by Brewers pitcher Logan Henderson allowed Tommy Edman to score. Milwaukee quickly responded, with Christian Yelich delivering a two-run single that gave the Brewers a 3-2 advantage.
The third-inning rally followed a demanding 12-pitch walk by Jake Bauers against Yamamoto. The lengthy at-bat helped extend the inning and set up Yelich’s go-ahead hit.
Yamamoto lasted just 2⅔ innings, allowing three runs in the shortest postseason start of his career. His early departure forced Los Angeles to rely heavily on its bullpen for the remainder of the game.
The Dodgers again moved ahead in the fifth inning, scoring twice to take a 4-3 lead. Kyle Tucker reached home following a throwing error, and Freddie Freeman added a sacrifice fly that brought Edman across the plate.
Milwaukee refused to let the deficit stand. Contreras led off the bottom of the fifth with a towering 436-foot home run to center field off reliever Kris Bubic, tying the score at 4-4.
The home run was another important postseason moment for Contreras, who had already helped Milwaukee advance through the National League Division Series. His ability to produce in different situations gave the Brewers a reliable offensive presence throughout Game 2.
The decisive hit came in the sixth inning, when Contreras singled against Brock Stewart to put Milwaukee ahead 5-4. It was his third run-scoring hit of the night and the third time he had helped erase a deficit or break a tie.
Milwaukee added two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Brice Turang delivered an RBI single before Bauers drove in another run with a base hit, extending the lead to 7-4.
Those late runs gave the Brewers additional protection heading into the ninth inning. With Los Angeles struggling to generate hits, Milwaukee’s relief pitchers were able to maintain control of the game.
The Brewers’ bullpen was one of the biggest reasons Milwaukee won. Four relievers combined for five perfect innings, recording seven strikeouts without allowing a single Dodgers batter to reach base.
JoJo Romero earned the victory after retiring all three batters he faced in the sixth inning. Aaron Ashby handled the final 1⅔ innings and recorded his first save of the postseason, striking out Miguel Rojas to end the game.
Henderson, Milwaukee’s starting pitcher, allowed four runs, although only two were earned. The defense behind him committed costly mistakes, but the bullpen prevented those errors from turning into a defeat.
Los Angeles struggled offensively despite scoring four runs. The Dodgers finished with just three hits in 28 at-bats, and their four runs came without a run-scoring base hit.
The struggles extended to several established stars. Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith went a combined 0-for-8, continuing a difficult postseason stretch for two important members of the Dodgers’ lineup.
Major League Baseball reported that Los Angeles was batting just .193 through its first six postseason games. The Dodgers had also managed only two hits in 26 at-bats with runners in scoring position, a problem that limited their opportunities to produce bigger innings.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, collected 12 hits and capitalized on chances with runners aboard. The Brewers went 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position during Game 2, a major difference between the two offenses.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised his players for remaining aggressive against a talented opponent. He said Milwaukee’s determination had helped separate this postseason team from the club that lost to Los Angeles the previous October.
The matchup is a rematch of the 2025 NLCS, when the Dodgers swept Milwaukee in four games before winning their second consecutive World Series championship. This time, the Brewers have won the opening two games and will travel to Los Angeles with the advantage.
Milwaukee secured a 2-1 victory in Game 1 behind strong pitching and timely offense. Brice Turang homered to tie that contest before Luis Lara delivered the winning run.
The Brewers now have history on their side. According to Major League Baseball, teams that have opened a best-of-seven postseason series with two victories have gone on to win 79 of 95 such series, approximately 83 percent.
That record does not eliminate the possibility of a Dodgers comeback. Los Angeles rallied from a 3-1 deficit against the Atlanta Braves in the 2020 NLCS, winning three consecutive games before claiming the World Series championship.
The immediate challenge for Los Angeles is improving its production at the plate. Manager Dave Roberts said his team would need a longer outing from its next starting pitcher to give the bullpen more flexibility and provide an opportunity to build a lead.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, at Dodger Stadium, with the first pitch set for 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Blake Snell is scheduled to start for the Dodgers against Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser.
For the Brewers, the next game offers an opportunity to take a 3-0 lead and move within one victory of the National League pennant. The Dodgers return home needing a win to prevent Milwaukee from gaining an even stronger position in the series.
IMAGE: Milwaukee Brewers baseball cap with logo. Photo: User:Lightburst / Wikimedia, taken 2019-03-11, CC BY-SA 4.0