Dodgers Should Be Concerned About Brewers' 'Brand of Baseball'

Oct 11, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (21) and first baseman Andrew Vaughn (28) celebrate after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game five of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Dodgers have made it to the National League Championship Series with relatively few bumps and bruises.

It hasn't been an easy path and the team isn't necessarily firing on all cylinders. Shohei Ohtani has just four hits in 27 at-bats this postseason and the Dodgers bullpen has shown signs of breaking down at times.

More news: Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Looks Like 'Second Coming of Mariano Rivera', Says Insider

But, regardless of their flaws, the Dodgers are four wins away from a second straight World Series appearance and eight wins away from hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy once again.

Before that, however, the Dodgers must get through a Milwaukee Brewers team that won 97 games this season off a payroll nearly one-third the size of the Dodgers.

More news: Tanner Scott's Return Timeline Revealed, Will He Return to Dodgers This Year?

In a preview of the NLCS matchup, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times wrote about the success the Brewers have had while having such a small payroll.

"The Brewers’ $143-million payroll this year was less than 20 other teams in Major League Baseball — including the historically bad Colorado Rockies — and almost one-third the size of the Dodgers," Harris wrote. "That meant, in lieu of star talent and potent offensive weapons, the Brewers had to build their team around playing a particular brand of baseball. And on offense, where they were third in the majors in scoring this year, that led them to go all-in on a small-ball approach."

Harris pointed out the efficiency of the Milwaukee offense, which had the third-highest team batting average at .258 and the fourth-most walks. While they lacked in slugging and home runs, their identity of getting on base powered them to their best season in franchise history.

The Brewers had their way with the Dodgers this season, sweeping LA in each of the two series in the regular season. As a team, the Brewers had an even better batting average than their overall regular season average, hitting .274 against LA and scoring an average of over 5 runs per contest.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers struggled to get hits against the Brewers in 2025, holding a team batting average of just .179 while averaging just 2.66 runs per game.

It will be small-market money versus big city bucks in the NLCS, as the Dodgers look for their first win of the season against the Brewers in the moment where it matters the most.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.