On Sunday night, the NLCS is contested between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers.
This is the answer to the 2025 NLCS, which saw the Dodgers sweep the Brewers in four games, en route to their second World Series title.
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Can the Dodgers keep their three hopes alive, or will the Brewers finally make it to the World Series for the first time since they lost the 1982 World Series?
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 NLCS.
NLCS schedule and scores
This is the full schedule for the NLCS between the Dodgers and the Brewers. All times are listed in the East.
NLCS Game 1: Sunday, October 11
Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 (Brewers lead series 1-0)
NLCS Game 2: Monday, October 12
Brewers 7, Dodgers 4 (Beaters lead series 2-0)
NLCS Game 3: Wednesday, October 14
Brewers 6, Dodgers 2 (Beaters lead series 3-0)
NLCS Game 4: Thursday, October 15
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Brewers 6, Dodgers 4 (Brewers win series 4-0)
What happens at a fixed time?
The NLCS will be the third series between the Brewers and Dodgers this season.
The two series teams met in late May for a three-game set in Milwaukee. The Brewers took the first game of that series, five scoreless innings from starter Logan Henderson en route to a 5-1 win in the opener.
But then the Dodgers’ bats came alive, as Los Angeles won the second game of the series 11-3, and took a 5-1 lead in the final half.
The second series between these two teams came back in mid-August in Los Angeles. But this time it was the Brewers’ winning streak, taking a 5-4 win in the first game by hanging up three earned runs off closer Edwin Diaz in the top of the ninth. After dropping the second game 3-1, Milwaukee won the third game by a final score of 4-2, and again it was a strong outing from Henderson on the mound that helped the Brewers cling to the series with a 6-2 win.
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Rome has won four out of seven meetings in the regular season.
But, as we saw last year, the season series matters little in the playoffs. A year ago, the Brewers swept the Dodgers, winning all six of their regular season games.
But the Brewers swept Los Angeles in the NLCS to return to the World Series.
NLCS prediction
The choice or pain itself feels like a chalk lesson.
Here you have the Dodgers. The team looking for a triple-header — which would be one of the few in MLB history — is bringing $339 million in salary to the table, second in the majors behind only the New York Mets.
While the Brewers didn’t have the same financial power, Milwaukee not only won the season series, but they were the best team in the regular season and secured home field advantage for this series, as the top team in the National League. And unlike the NLCS from a season ago, the Brewers are in better shape with their pitching staff for this series.
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and this will make a difference.
Last year, Milwaukee was pushed to a five-game series against the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, and they needed Jacob Misiorowski to start in Game 5 to keep their playoff hopes alive. As for the Brewers, starting reliever Aaron Ashby was ruled out for Game 1 against the Dodgers ahead of the injured Quinn Priester, who was out after the series with thoracic syndrome.
This year, the Brewers are setting up their rotation to start in the NLCS. Misiorowski will have the ball for Game 1 and Henderson, who has yet to give up three runs or more in any of his 24 starts over the regular season and the playoffs, will be in line for Game 2.
There will be questions later, but the Brewers are in a much better position to start this year’s NLCS against the Dodgers.
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There is also an element of Shohei Ohtani. Last year’s superstar delivered arguably one of the best individual performances in NLCS history in Game 4, with a trio of home runs while hitting ten as a pitcher to shut out the Dodgers.
Ohtani’s lingering injuries have forced the Dodgers to shut him down as a pitcher, so the only Brewers pitchers will have to worry about is him in the NLCS. But recently it has cooled to the plate, after what was a hot June. In August, he posted a .241/.322/.472 slash line, and over four games against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, Ohtani is 2-for-13 with two hits, for a slash line of .154/.267/.154.
Sure, the Dodgers felt sorry for more than just Ohtani, who dropped to fifth in the order for Game 3, his lowest position in the lineup for his entire Dodgers tenure, but it’s a trend.
This should be a close series, and we expect it to go seven games.
But let us move the Brewers on.
Prediction: Brewers in seven.