William Contreras Chases Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Brewers Take a 2-0 NLCS Lead to Los Angeles

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday and lead the series 2-0 as it shifts to Dodger Stadium. William Contreras went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, tying the game with a solo home run in the fifth and driving in the go-ahead run in the sixth. Four Milwaukee relievers then retired the final 15 Dodgers in order, and a three-run eighth put the game away.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who the Dodgers lined up as their Game 2 answer after Tarik Skubal lost a 2-1 duel in Game 1, did not make it out of the third inning. Game 3 is Wednesday, October 14, with Milwaukee expected to start left-hander Robert Gasser and Los Angeles expected to start Blake Snell.

How Game 2 turned

Both starters labored early, each needing 39 pitches to get through two innings. The Dodgers carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the third, and Milwaukee then knocked Yamamoto out. He was charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits in 2 2/3 innings, allowed two home runs and struck out one.

Brewers starter Logan Henderson did not have a clean night either. Two of his own throwing errors helped the Dodgers retake the lead at 4-3, and he left after the first two batters reached in the fifth. Contreras answered in the bottom half with the tying homer, then put Milwaukee ahead an inning later.

From there, Milwaukee's bullpen took over completely. The relief corps retired 15 straight to finish the game, the second time in two games that Milwaukee's pitching held the Dodgers' lineup in check late.

The starters, side by side

The Game 2 pitching lines, per the box score:

Henderson's earned-run total was affected by his own errors, and box score reproductions vary on the split, so the table lists it as unconfirmed.

Why 2-0 matters

Teams trailing 2-0 in the League Championship Series have historically won only a small fraction of those series, with one count putting the comeback record at 8-51. The Dodgers have the roster to beat those odds, but they now need four wins in five games, starting with three straight at home.

The bigger problem for Los Angeles is the shape of the series so far. Skubal pitched well enough to win Game 1 and lost 2-1. Yamamoto, normally the most reliable October arm on the staff, was chased early in Game 2. The Dodgers' offense has produced five runs in two games, and Milwaukee's bullpen has looked like the best unit on the field.

Game 3: Gasser vs. Snell

Brewers manager Pat Murphy chose Robert Gasser, who will be working on six full days of rest. Gasser is a left-hander, which matters against a Dodgers lineup built around several dangerous left-handed hitters.

The Dodgers had not formally announced their starter as of Monday, but Snell is expected to start. He showed some rust in his NLDS Game 2 start, and pushing him to Game 3 gives him extra rest again. Snell at his best is a strikeout-heavy, high-pitch-count starter who often exits before the sixth inning, which would put the Dodgers' bullpen under the same pressure it has faced all series.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on FS1.

The Contreras effect

Contreras has been Milwaukee's most important hitter in this series, and his value goes beyond the box score. As the everyday catcher, he has also handled a pitching staff that has held the Dodgers to five runs in two games. A three-RBI night with a game-tying homer is the type of performance that changes how opposing managers attack the middle of the Brewers' order.

For the Dodgers, the question in Game 3 is how to pitch around him. Walking Contreras brings the bottom half of Milwaukee's lineup to the plate with runners on, and Milwaukee's lineup has shown it can extend innings. Pitching to him has not worked either. Expect the Dodgers to try matchup relievers against him earlier than usual if Snell runs into trouble.

Betting and DFS angle

The Dodgers are likely to be priced as favorites at home on Wednesday, and the betting question is whether to buy the price or the momentum. The Brewers have now won two games in which the Dodgers started their two best pitchers; that is a strong argument against laying a large number with Los Angeles.

For props, Snell's strikeout line is the obvious focus given his profile, while Contreras' hot streak will move his hit and total-bases numbers. Milwaukee's bullpen dominance also makes late-inning unders and first-five-innings markets more interesting than full-game totals, since the Brewers' relievers have reduced late scoring. Verdexed's model view for Game 3 publishes on the day's picks page at /blog/mlb-picks-2026-10-14, with full game probabilities at MLB predictions.

What's next

Wednesday's Game 3 is close to a must-win for the Dodgers. A Milwaukee win would leave Los Angeles needing four straight. The Brewers, meanwhile, have the luxury of a rested bullpen and a lefty starter who matches up with the Dodgers' best hitters. Watch Snell's pitch count early: if he is out of the game before the fifth, the series could be over quickly.