Milwaukee Pitchers Haven't Allowed a Run in 18 Innings, And the Dodgers Are Already Scrambling

Holy smokes, baseball fans! The Brewers, fresh off dropping the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 Friday, are scorching hot. They've won their fourth straight, with 12 of their last 14 games. Dominance has them atop the NL Central. Dodgers might lead the NL West, but dropping the opener and falling to 5-2 on their road trip means pressure for Saturday. First matchup since Dodgers swept them in NLCS, but Milwaukee took all six regular season games before that. History lesson, right?

Sasaki's Redemption Bid vs. Gasser's Early Struggles

The Saturday mound matchup is fascinating. Dodgers hand the ball to right-hander Roki Sasaki, sitting at 2-3 with a 5.09 ERA. His season hasn't been great, but his last outing was his best of 2026: one run, four hits, eight Ks in seven innings during a 10-1 Angels victory. Can he bring that fire to Milwaukee? Opponents hit .269 against him, and he's given up nine homers in 40 2/3 innings. He still has to prove he's turned the corner. First time facing the Brewers in regular season play.

Brewers roll with left-hander Robert Gasser, making just his second start. His debut last Sunday against Minnesota wasn't pretty: three runs in four innings, two walks, three hit batters. Oof! Brewers manager Pat Murphy: "Gas wasn't sharp obviously with all the free bases. Five free bases in four innings, that's just not it. He knows better and hopefully it'll be better." Gasser, who had Tommy John surgery after starting five games in 2024, needs command fast. He hasn't faced the Dodgers in regular season, only two-thirds of an inning in the NLCS. Both guys have something to prove!

Brewers' Stellar Staff, Batters on Fire, and Muncy's Scare

Friday's opener saw William Contreras blast a three-run bomb, backing five scoreless innings from Logan Henderson. Get this: Brewers are dead last in MLB with 34 homers, yet their pitching staff has given up the fewest in the majors with 35. Their starters have been lights out, not allowing a single run over the last three games across 18 innings, with 26 strikeouts. Wild, right?

Jake Bauers is another Brewer on fire! He singled against Justin Wrobleski, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. He's batting .400 (18-for-45) over that stretch with five doubles, two homers, and 10 RBIs. He's also reached base safely in a career-high 22 straight games. Seeing the ball like a beach ball!

For the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani kept his incredible hitting streak alive, pushing it to seven games with a single, one of only three Dodger hits on Friday. He also drove in their lone run with a sacrifice fly. During this streak, Ohtani is hitting a mind-boggling .467 (14-for-30) with four doubles, a triple, two homers, and 11 RBIs. A machine!

It's not all sunshine for LA. Max Muncy got dinged, taking a pitch to the right wrist in the eighth inning and is expected to miss a couple of games. Manager Dave Roberts said the initial X-ray was negative, thankfully!

So, here we are: Saturday afternoon, a red-hot Brewers team trying to push their streak even further, and the Dodgers trying to stop the bleeding and even this series. You know Saturday's going to be a battle on the diamond. Let's go!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.