Championships are not won by taking your opponents lightly. The Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, knows this. His latest statement ahead of the NLCS clash against the Milwaukee Brewers is proof of that.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Absolutely not,” said Roberts when asked if the Brewers were “David,” per Dodgers Nation on X. “They have the best record in baseball… they’re certainly not afraid of us, they’ve the guy who’s gonna win the Cy Young in the National League. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
After winning back-to-back World Series titles and holding the highest payroll in MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers can certainly be considered the ‘Goliath’ of baseball. After defeating the Atlanta Braves, 3-1, in the NLDS, the Dodgers will face the Milwaukee Brewers next in the NLCS.
However, the Brewers are no ‘David’ to the Dodgers’ ‘Goliath’, especially after leading MLB with the most wins (103-59). This year, the Brewers won the season series against the Dodgers, going 4-3.
Plus, the NLCS will be a rematch of last year. In 2025, the Dodgers swept the Brewers in the best-of-seven series. In Game 4, Shohei Ohtani recorded 10 strikeouts and hit 3 home runs to decimate the Brewers, both offensively and defensively. However, that was a year ago, and the Brewers’ manager is also confident they are not the same team anymore.
“We’re gonna be more ready than we were last time, I believe. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but we got to be ready for what they say is the best team in baseball. But we think we are. We’re going to do our best to stay with them and beat them in 7 games,” Pat Murphy told the reporters about the NLCS clash, per Dodgers Nation.
Tarik Skubal and ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound in the first two games of the NLCS. Though the Brewers have yet to announce their starter of choice, Jacob Misiorowski is expected to start for the Brewers.
Misiorowski can be the key to taking down the defending World Series champions. The favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award this season, Misiorowski holds a 16-5 record with a 1.80 ERA. The 24-year-old has faced the Dodgers twice in his career now. He recorded wins both times. Misiriowski holds a 2-0 record with an ERA of 1.50 and 18 strikeouts in 2 appearances versus the Dodgers in his career.
However, overpowering the Dodgers is not an easy task. The Brewers’ manager has also acknowledged the difficulty.
“We have a monumental task ahead of us, based on what I know about the Dodgers. There’s like an All-Star at every position,” Pat Murphy said, reportedly.
And he was right. With the Dodgers not dependent on a specific player to lift them to victory, Los Angeles plays a perfect team game. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Andy Pages are all part of the All-Star roster.
LA has Freddie Freeman at first base, Max Muncy at third base, and center fielder Andy Pages – that All-Star roster has shown what they can do in the divisional series already. Muncy and Pages’ heroics were clearly visible in Game 4.
Pages hit a go-ahead, two-run single, and Muncy had a clutch solo home run (measuring 389 feet) to help their team clinch the NLDS.
The Milwaukee Brewers, on the other hand, have knocked out the San Diego Padres from the NLDS, going 3-1. Milwaukee is aiming to clinch their first World Series title this season.
Now, the two teams are set to clash in the NLCS as they battle to keep their World Series hopes alive.