Milwaukee’s offense leans on plate discipline and speed rather than power, driving the league’s best record and a top ERA this season. The club scored 806 runs, the franchise’s best since 1999, while hitting just 166 homers. They excel at drawing walks, turning the basepaths into a weapon with 164 steals, and they stress swinging at strikes and playing small-ball to manufacture runs. In Game 1 of the NLDS, the Brewers bring a multi-faceted approach that looks to travel well in October against Chicago.

Key pieces include Frelick, Turang and Vaughn, who have raised their OPS this year, and Durbin and Collins among the rookies who helped fuel the surge. The staff and hitters pitch around power, pin down the strike zone, and rely on on-base ability to set up runs, a strategy that’s carried them from May slumps to a championship-aspirant finish. Despite playoff pasts heavy with ousters, Milwaukee believes its identity is postseason-ready.

Dodgers sweep Reds to advance, riding deep rotation and timely hitting into a division-series clash with Philadelphia. Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered 20+ outs apiece, while Mookie Betts, Kiké Hernandez and Teoscar Hernandez supplied the offense. Ohtani sat in Game 1 build, underscoring the rotation’s size. Bullpen nerves linger as the Dodgers head to Philadelphia, where they’ll face a rested Phillies team that won 96 games and split 4 of 6 with L.A. this year.