Dodgers vs. Brewers Game 2 live updates: L.A. leads in fourth inning

MILWAUKEE — He did not scream. He did not pump a fist. He showed hardly any of the emotions the moment seemed to call for, accomplishing something no major league pitcher had achieved in almost a decade.

Instead, after completing MLB’s first postseason complete game since 2017, and the first by a Dodgers pitcher since 2004, Yoshinobu Yamamoto simply walked around the mound, casually removed his glove, and didn’t break into a smile until he looked back at the center-field scoreboard.

“Wow,” he finally mouthed to himself, as the realization of his nine-inning, three-hit, one-run gem finally started to set in.

The reaction came after his old-school, matter-of-fact performance lifted the Dodgers to a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

MILWAUKEE — Technically, Roki Sasaki was available to pitch in relief for the Dodgers on Tuesday night.

Realistically, he wasn’t.

“I wouldn’t say unavailable,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “But it is unlikely that we will use him.”

Without the most electric arm in their unreliable bullpen, how could the Dodgers record the final outs required to win Game 2 of the National League Championship Series?

Here’s how: By making their bullpen a non-factor.

⚾ Dodgers 5, Brewers 1 — FINAL

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches a complete game and home runs by Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy lift the Dodgers to victory in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 as it heads to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Thursday.

It was the first complete game by a Dodgers pitcher since José Lima in the 2004 NLDS.

Ninth inning recap

Top of the ninth: Facing Brewers reliever Robert Gasser, Mookie Betts took a pitch off his left elbow and went to first base after a short injury timeout.

Freddie Freeman followed with an improbable double to center field after the Brewers appeared to be somewhat taken by surprise by Freeman’s extra-base hustle. The hit moved Betts to third.

Gasser intentionally walked Will Smith to load the bases before striking out Max Muncy.

With Grant Anderson taking over in relief, Teoscar Hernández hit into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom of the ninth: Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound and gets William Contreras to fly out to center field. Christian Yelich grounded out to Yamamoto before he struck out Andrew Vaughn to complete his complete-game gem.

⚾ Dodgers 5, Brewers 1 — Through eighth inning

Top of the eighth: Facing Brewers reliever Tobias Myers, Will Smith hit a flare to right field for a single. Max Muncy then drew a walk. Teoscar Hernández grounded out to third, but moved Smith and Muncy to third and second.

Tommy Edman then drove in Smith on a single to right field, making it 5-1 Dodgers.

Kiké Hernández drew a walk from Myers to load the bases. Andy Pages popped out into foul territory in left field.

After Robert Gasser took over for Myers on the mound, Shohei Ohtani struck out to leave three stranded.

Bottom of the eighth: Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out pinch-hitter Isaac Collins. Jackson Chourio grounded out to third base and Brice Turang grounded out to second to send the game to the ninth.

Yamamoto retired the side on eight pitches — he has thrown 97 total.

⚾ Dodgers 4, Brewers 1 — Through seventh inning

Top of the seventh: Kiké Hernández sent a hit to the warning track in left-center field for a standup double. Andy Pages moved him to third base on a sacrifice bunt, ending Abner Uribe’s stint on the mound.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Facing Aaron Ashby, Shohei Ohtani drove in Hernández on a single to right field to make it 4-1 Dodgers — Ohtani’s first RBI of the series.

Mookie Betts lined out to right for the second out. Ohtani then stole second base before Ashby struck out Freddie Freeman to end the inning.

Bottom of the seventh: Yoshinobu Yamamoto got Sal Frelick to ground out to short. Caleb Durbin and Jake Bauers each grounded out to second.

Yamamoto has retired the last eight Milwaukee batters.

⚾ Dodgers 3, Brewers 1 — Through sixth inning

Top of the sixth: Freddie Freeman flied out to right field, Will Smith grounded out to third.

Max Muncy then hit a solo home run on a 412-foot blast to center field to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead. The hit, Muncy’s first home run of the 2025 postseason, just cleared the wall over leaping center fielder Sal Frelick.

The home run ended Freddy Peralta’s night. He gave up five hits, three earned runs, struck out four and walked one. One of those hits was a home run to Teoscar Hernández in the second inning.

Abner Uribe took over in relief for the Brewers. Hernández then hit a liner to the mound that Uribe fielded, but Hernández beat the throw to first, which went into the photographers’ well and allowed Hernández to take second base on the error.

Uribe overcame the misfire to strike out Tommy Edman and end the frame.

Bottom of the sixth: William Contreras and Christian Yelich each grounded out before Andrew Vaughn lined out to Muncy at third.

⚾ Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 — Through fifth inning

Top of the fifth: Andy Pages took a pitch off his left hand, but managed to stay in the game and take his base. Shohei Ohtani struck out — he has one hit and 11 strikeouts in his last 23 at-bats. Mookie Betts then grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

Bottom of the fifth: Jake Bauers flied out to right field. Yoshinobu Yamamoto then walked Joey Ortiz before Jackson Chourio lined out to left, keeping Ortiz on first.

Yamamoto struck out Brice Turang for the third out.

Yamamoto has given up three hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking one over 65 pitches.

⚾ Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 — Through fourth inning

Top of the fourth: Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn made an impressive leaping catch to rob Max Muncy of a potential extra-base hit. Teoscar Hernández then grounded out to third.

Tommy Edman drove a Freddy Peralta pitch deep into the right-center field gap for a ground-rule double. Peralta responded by striking out Kiké Hernández for the final out.

Bottom of the fourth: Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out Christian Yelich. Vaughn flied out to center field before Sal Frelik singled to left field for Milwaukee’s third hit. Caleb Durbin struck out to end the inning.

⚾ Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 — Through third inning

Top of the third: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman each grounded out before Will Smith popped out in a nine-pitch inning for Freddy Peralta.

Bottom of the third: Joey Ortiz grounded out to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who then struck out Jackson Chourio. Brice Turang followed with a single to left field before William Contreras lined out to Mookie Betts at shortstop.

⚾ Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 — Through second inning

Top of the second: Max Muncy popped out to third base.

Teoscar Hernández followed with a 377-foot home run to left field off a floating curveball from Freddy Peralta to tie the score 1-1.

Tommy Edman lined out to right field before Kiké Hernández singled up the middle.

Andy Pages then drove in Hernández on a double into the right-field corner to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

Shohei Ohtani lined out to right field to cap the frame.

Bottom of the second: After Andrew Vaughn reached first on a fielding error by Max Muncy, Sal Frelik grounded into a forceout at second base. Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out Caleb Durbin before Jake Bauers grounded out to end the inning.

⚾ Brewers 1, Dodgers 0 — Through first inning

Top of the first: Brewers ace Freddy Peralta struck out Shohei Ohtani. Mookie Betts drew a walk before Freddie Freeman flied out to right field.

Peralta struck out Will Smith, leaving Betts stranded at first.

Bottom of the first: Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up a first-pitch solo home run to Jackson Chourio, a 389-foot blast to right field that left Chourio’s bat at 106 mph.

Brice Turang, William Contreras and Christian Yelich each hit into groundouts to end the inning.

MILWAUKEE — Sixty years ago, the only pitcher with a statue at Dodger Stadium delivered the most dominant postseason performance in franchise history.

Sandy Koufax, meet Blake Snell.

With apologies to Orel Hershiser and his classic run in 1988, the three postseason starts put up by Koufax in 1965 practically mirror the three postseason starts put up by Snell so far in 2025.

Koufax: 24 innings, 13 hits, two runs, five walks, 29 strikeouts.

MILWAUKEE — Roki Sasaki won’t be strictly unavailable for Game 2 of the NLCS, Dave Roberts said.

But the manager acknowledged his new closer is “unlikely” to pitch in Tuesday’s game.

In Game 1 on Monday, Sasaki threw 22 pitches in what was his worst outing of the postseason. He recorded just two outs in the ninth inning while conceding one run (his first since rejoining the Dodgers as a reliever at the end of the regular season). He walked two batters and gave up a ground-rule double, all without recording a strikeout.

While Sasaki’s command was a problem, so too was the velocity of his fastball. After averaging more than 100 mph with the pitch in his first two outings of the playoffs, then 99-plus in the two after that, Sasaki’s heater sat at 98 mph in the NLCS opener. The double he gave up to Jake Bauers was on a four-seamer that clocked only 97.3 mph.

Roberts said the club has been monitoring Sasaki’s velocity — which was often 95 mph or below during his woeful stint as a starter at the beginning of the season — but wasn’t sure if it had more to do with his usage or the mechanics of his delivery.

“We’re still in sort of uncharted territory with him,” Roberts said of Sasaki, who had never pitched out of the bullpen in his professional career before the last three weeks. “We’re still gathering information. And he’s doing everything he can to stay ready and be ready and be productive. But it’s something that’s certainly on our radar. I don’t know; I don’t think it would be fatigue, or if it’s mechanical. But it may be a combo like most things are.”

MILWAUKEE — Teoscar Hernández made no excuses about his baserunning mistake in Game 1 of the NLCS.

“I just f— up,” Hernández said to reporters ahead of Game 2. “It’s that simple.”

For all the unusual aspects of the moment — when Max Muncy had a potential grand slam robbed, but not caught, at the wall in center field and two Dodgers runners were forced out on the bases — Hernández had the simplest read.

Whether or not Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick completed the catch (which he didn’t, since it bounced off the wall in between a bobble), Hernández could have broke for home from third as soon as the ball hit Frelick’s glove. Instead, as he saw Frelick bobble it, Hernández went back and re-tagged third base, giving the Brewers time to turn a relay play that beat him to the plate.

“Teo knows the rule,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “I think right there he had just a little bit of a brain fart… But he owned it. And after that there’s nothing else you can do about it.”

Hernández, who did not speak to reporters following the game but was one of two Dodgers players to talk during a news conference before Game 2, acknowledged as much a day later.

“It was one of those plays that if you would have asked me two days ago what would you do in this situation, I would say, as soon as the ball touched the glove, I would go,” Hernández said. “But in the moment, I got blocked, I think, and there’s not an explanation.”

“I saw it when the ball hit the glove, I went,” he added. “Then I saw it bounced off the glove. And I just reacted bad. Just one of those moments, you block your mind. But there’s nobody to blame but myself. And it happens.”

Can you put a price on the experience of enjoying a World Series game at Dodger Stadium?

Yes, and it’s a very high one.

The Dodgers put tickets for potential World Series games on sale Tuesday, with the cheapest seat available for $881.95, according to an afternoon review of the team website. That seat — $800 for the ticket and $81.95 for fees — is located at the end of the reserve level, high above the field and next to the foul pole.

MILWAUKEE — Blake Treinen’s first save of the postseason was hardly a memorable performance.

He threw more balls than strikes. He walked the first batter he faced and nearly hit the second. And he got the final out on a pitch that was well out of the strike zone.

But he did get the final out, preserving the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the opening game of the National League Championship Series on Monday.

Here’s who will be starting for the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Tuesday:

MILWAUKEE — The disparity in the payrolls was the focus of the series before the first pitch ever delivered, the handiwork of the manager in charge of the small-market franchise that won more regular season games than any team in baseball.

“I’m sure that most Dodgers players can’t name eight guys on our roster,” joked Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers.

If the preceding six months were a testament to how a team can win without superstars, the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series was a display of the firepower that can be purchased with a record-breaking $415-million payroll.

MILWAUKEE — The reason the Milwaukee Brewers are in the National League Championship Series is because of plays like the one that ended the fourth inning Monday night.

A strange, one-in-a-million, 400-foot double-play in which one Brewers fielder made a spectacular defensive effort, and another never lost awareness of a wacky situation — highlighting the underappreciated skill set and sound fundamentals that made them baseball’s winningest team this season.

The reason the Dodgers are here, however, is because of how they can respond to adversity — settling the panic with their dominant starting pitching, rallying at the plate with their star-studded lineup and suffocating an opponent with a record $415-million payroll’s worth of talent.

The Dodgers take on the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Tuesday at 5:08 p.m. PDT.

The game will be televised on TBS, TruTV and HBO Max. Radio broadcasts in the Los Angeles area will be on 570 AM and 1020 AM (Español).

Here are the latest betting odds for Game 2 of the NLCS:

Here’s the TV schedule for the rest of the best-of-seven series (all times Pacific):

Game 3: Thursday, 3:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | TBS, HBO Max

Game 4: Friday, 5:38 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | TBS, HBO Max

*Game 5: Saturday, 5:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | TBS, HBO Max

*Game 6: Monday, 2:08 p.m. at Milwaukee | TBS, HBO Max

*Game 7: Oct. 21, 5:08 p.m. at Milwaukee | TBS, HBO Max

* if necessary