Milwaukee finally got the better of Los Angeles in October, and the payoff was immediate.
Brice Turang cracked a home run off Tarik Skubal, Luis Lara followed with the go-ahead single in the fifth inning, and the Brewers leaned on a deep bullpen to beat the Dodgers 2-1 on Sunday night in the National League Championship Series opener.
The win carried extra weight for Milwaukee. It snapped a seven-game postseason losing streak against Los Angeles, a run that included last year’s sweep in the NLCS. It also gave the Brewers a rare Game 1 victory in a matchup of 100-win clubs, the first such NLCS opener since 1976.
For Los Angeles, the night was full of missed chances. The Dodgers grounded into three double plays, left nine runners on base and went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Through the playoffs, they have now managed just 2 hits in 22 chances with runners in scoring position.
Milwaukee’s win was built around resilience after a rough stretch in the middle of the game. Jacob Misiorowski, the pitcher many view as the favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, was forced to labor early as the Dodgers extended at-bats and drove his pitch count up fast. Los Angeles made him throw 35...