Brewers Beat Dodgers 7-4 to Take 2-0 NLCS Lead

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday in Milwaukee, taking a 2-0 series lead behind William Contreras' three-run performance and moving within two wins of a World Series appearance, according to The New York Times.

According to The New York Times, Contreras drove in three runs with a home run against Kris Bubic and a go-ahead single against Brock Stewart. The victory gave the Brewers their second straight home win in the best-of-seven series.

The New York Times reported that Milwaukee reached its current position despite neither Jacob Misiorowski nor Logan Henderson completing the fifth inning in their starts. The Brewers previously defeated Tarik Skubal and then forced Yoshinobu Yamamoto out before the third inning.

According to The New York Times, the Dodgers are facing a 2-0 deficit for the first time since the 2023 National League Division Series. Los Angeles will return to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday.

The New York Times reported that Los Angeles' use of ABS challenges became a factor during Yamamoto's outing. The Dodgers entered the game with 151 challenges in 2026, tied for the second-fewest among fielding teams, and had a 58 percent success rate.

According to The New York Times, Yamamoto and catcher Will Smith did not challenge two close pitches to Brice Turang that extended Milwaukee rallies. Those sequences contributed to a run-scoring single by Contreras and a later two-run single by Christian Yelich that ended Yamamoto's outing.

The New York Times reported that the Dodgers' next pitching plans were centered on Blake Snell starting Game 3 and Tyler Glasnow following in Game 4. Manager Dave Roberts also continued using Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith despite their struggles during the postseason.

According to The New York Times, Ohtani had been moved down in the batting order while Smith was hitting below .100 in the postseason. The report said Los Angeles continued to rely on its established players during October.

The New York Times reported that Christian Yelich became a lineup decision for Milwaukee ahead of Game 3 against a potential Snell start. Yelich recorded two hits in Game 2 and was batting .368 during the postseason.