The Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers have a $250 million payroll gap. But Brewers manager Pat Murphy found the difference funny. When Andrew Friedman, the president of the Dodgers, showed their text messages, it showed Murphy’s joking “blackmail” threat, which was a request for the Dodgers to make things harder for themselves against the best regular-season team in baseball.

The Dodgers built a powerhouse by spending a lot of money on players, including four MVPs and two Cy Young winners. This was a lot more than what Milwaukee did. LA could sign superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in December 2023, making their team strong enough to win in October. This immense advantage was the basis of Murphy’s good-natured teasing.

Murphy texted Friedman asking the Dodgers to make things a little harder for themselves during the series. He told Friedman that his players should wear gloves on their opposite hands to make things fair, or else he would come up with something to blackmail him.”I usually don’t laugh out loud when I get something funny in a text message,” Friedman recalled. “But with Patty – that’s what I call him – I’d say 80% of the time I do.”

Murphy had previously joked about the contrast between Los Angeles signing Ohtani and Yamamoto while Milwaukee added Collin Rea and Joe Ross, apologizing for announcing Eric Haase on the same day as Ohtani.

The Brewers defied expectations all season, winning back-to-back NL Central titles while cutting payroll by roughly $40 million. They defeated the Cubs in a memorable Division Series, celebrating by repeatedly playing “Go, Cubs Go” deep into the night.

“That song can get so damn annoying, especially playing them 13 times a year,” Murphy said. “It was just a great night.”

Yet, the $250 million payroll gap Murphy joked about transformed into a harsh reality in the NLCS.

Despite winning more games than any team during the regular season, Milwaukee dropped the first two at home, including a 5-1 defeat in Game 2. The Dodgers returned to Los Angeles with a commanding 2-0 series lead, leaving the Brewers’ postseason thrill in jeopardy as their home-field advantage disappeared.

History weighs heavily against Murphy’s squad. Teams leading 2-0 in a best-of-seven NLCS have won 14 of 17 times since 1985. And in all best-of-seven series in MLB, 73 of 93 teams that had such leads went on to win the championship.

Friedman’s financial strength in putting together his roster is proving to be very important. And Murphy’s silly threat of blackmail doesn’t change the fact that money matters in October. The Average Joes were now up against baseball’s biggest spenders, and the odds are stacked heavily against them.

Dodgers one step closer to World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers stand just two victories from reaching the World Series, and their pitching staff has carried them through October with ruthless efficiency. Dodger Stadium hosts Game 3 today, where Los Angeles aims to tighten its stranglehold on this series and push Milwaukee to the brink of elimination.

Tyler Glasnow is on the mound for the Dodgers. He just shut down the Philadelphia bats in the NLDS clincher. The right-hander pitched six shutout innings against the Phillies, showing the October brilliance that makes him so valuable in big games. His three-year record says a lot: A 3.42 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a .194 opponent batting average show that he consistently confuses hitters while keeping them from making damaging contact.

Milwaukee isn’t sure what to do with its pitching plans going into Game 3.

Murphy wouldn’t say who his starter would be, which could mean that he might use a bullpen game or a creative combination approach that relies on relievers to get through the whole game.

The Brewers could look at Quinn Priester, Jose Quintana, and Jacob Misiorowski as possible choices. Quintana is a veteran left-hander with experience in the postseason who could either start or come in as a bridge arm.

Murphy needs every tactical edge to get against Glasnow and the Dodgers’ lineup, which has shown why Friedman’s huge financial investment pays off in October.