Milwaukee and San Diego have surged as the two hottest NL clubs, rewriting postseason math with strong pitching, elite defense, and a willingness to lean into power in a power-driven era. The Brewers and Padres aren’t built on home runs, but they’re converting balls in play into outs at a top-tier rate and riding deep bullpens and wipeout front-line arms toward October.

Power matters more than last decade’s small-ball bias in the current postseason math. The Brewers have quietly added Andrew Vaughn and Brice Turang to lengthen their lineup and boost slug, while San Diego’s late-season upgrades Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn bolster the middle of the order and provide plate discipline upfront. The Padres also rely on trio Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Gavin Sheets to supply the bulk of their power, while Jackson Merrill’s resurgence hints at upside on the mound.

This matchup isn’t about fluff; it’s about a shift in how teams win in October. The data show home runs correlate more strongly with World Series success than avoiding strikeouts, and the 2025 landscape favors power with contact. The Astros, Yankees, Dodgers, and Mariners are still poised to capitalize on that, but Milwaukee and San Diego are proving you can win with a composite of speed, defense, and big blasts when the lineup breathes and the bullpen holds the late innings.

Milwaukee remains the standard-bearer as Christian Yelich fuels a dramatic run by the Brewers, whose early-season momentum has become late-season certainty. His two-homer, five-RBI eruption during a big comeback underscores Milwaukee’s depth and the fantasy upside in a lineup designed for multi-category impact.

Kyle Finnegan’s Tigers bullpen surge reshapes late-inning plans, pairing with Will Vest for a trusted 1-2 punch that’s locked in saves and shutout appearances. Detroit’s short-term stability boosts the bullpen-friendly fantasy outlook as the calendar turns toward October.

Dodgers’ rotation health re-upgrades their October ceiling with Kershaw, Snell and Glasnow delivering, even after a rough patch in the Freeway Series. Los Angeles is positioned to ride solid pitching and timely hits into the postseason, a favorable sign for fantasy rotations and streaming decisions.

Alejandro Kirk and Myles Straw green-light Jays offense as speed and base-running efficiency reframe their offense, while Alejandro Kirk’s first stolen base adds a new dimension behind the plate. Toronto’s balance of speed and power translates well into fantasy value as the race tightens.

Ramon Laureano’s Padres debut sparks a powerful, multi-dimensional offense—.339/.403/.679 with four homers in 15 games—that shores up San Diego’s output even as Michael King lands on the IL. Jung Hoo Lee flashes premium defensive value and an eye-popping catch that keeps San Francisco in the conversation for late-season momentum.

As the week closes, the landscape hints at a tightening playoff chase: Mariners, Yankees, Phillies, Cubs and the rest grid for momentum into September, with injuries and bullpen depth shaping the next wave of fantasy moves and betting angles.

Dylan Beavers earned the call to the majors with the Orioles, drawing a start in right field and slotting into the six-hole as they shuffled their outfield duties at the trade deadline. Beavers posted a blazing line in Triple-A, hitting .304/.420/.515 with 18 homers and a notable 25 steals in 94 games for Norfolk. With Tyler O’Neill sidelined by a wrist issue and Laureano/O’Hearn moved to San Diego, Beavers was positioned to see regular at-bats and immediate opportunity. Fantasy managers should eye him as a high-upside add for the final month, especially in deeper formats, as he profiles as a five-category contributor with speed that translates to stolen-base upside and power that can grow with MLB pitching.

The prospect outlook pushes Beavers as the No. 3 prospect in Baltimore’s system, flashing both power and speed in the minors, with a patient, OBP-friendly approach that supported a strong 2025 AAA campaign. His performance at Norfolk, coupled with a track record of success in 2024 and the development trajectory shown in spring, suggests a realistic ceiling of productive at-bats in the majors. Managers should stash him this weekend in standard formats and monitor how he handles major league pitching as he settles into everyday duties down the stretch.

Clayton Kershaw, at 37 with a battered body, anchored the Dodgers in a tense win over the Padres, six innings of two hits and one run lifting Los Angeles into a first-place NL West tie. He spat through trouble, set the tone for a series that matters down the stretch, and stayed in the middle of the postseason rotation chatter with a 7-2 mark and a 3.01 ERA.

Los Angeles rode defensive plays at the corners and a late bullpen save to seal it, with Kershaw delivering the kind of big-game calm that fantasy managers crave in frontline starters. The win also underscored the Dodgers’ plan to protect their veteran by keeping him on a measured leash as October approaches.

Padres star power supplied the drama: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado featured prominently, and Ramon Laureano’s long homer for San Diego was a rare bright spot amid a series that added a fresh chapter to the West’s roiling rivalry. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández contributed on the Dodgers’ side, with Hernández delivering a seventh-inning homer that proved decisive, while Laureano’s curveball-miss kept the tension high.

In a wider sense, this opener reestablished old-school baseball energy: pitching, defense, and competitive edge. It set the tone for a brutal two-week stretch where the Dodgers and Padres collide six times, each win carrying postseason vibes and fantasy implications as Kershaw and his peers navigate a crowded playoff race.