The NL Champion Dodgers and the Never NL Champion Brewers play in Milwaukee Friday night in game one of the NLCS. Here’s how the two offenses stacked up based on NL Ranks:
| Statistic | Los Angeles Dodgers | Milwaukee Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| Runs/Game | 4.93 (1st) | 4.63 (7th) |
| Batting Avg. | .250 (8th) | .252 (7th) |
| OBP | .333 (2nd-T) | .323 (6th) |
| Slugging Pct. | .442 (1st) | .424 (3rd) |
| Home Runs | 235 (1st) | 218 (2nd) |
| Stolen Base % | 76% (4th) | 79% (1st) |
The Dodgers lead the Brewers in all but two categories, batting average and stolen base percentage. The Brewers and Dodgers produced about the same number of hits 1398 for Milwaukee versus 1394 for Los Angeles. The Dodgers, however, walked 88 more times. That all lead to 148 more plate appearance for the Dodgers; that’s 16 more times through the Dodgers lineup. That’s why getting on base is so important, it gives everyone on the team more chances to generate runs. LA also hit 44 more doubles, nine more triples, and 18 more home runs.
Now for the pitching:
| Statistic | Los Angeles Dodgers | Milwaukee Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| Earned Run Avg. | 3.38 (1st) | 3.73 (4th) |
| Runs Allowed/Game | 3.74 (1st) | 4.04 (4th) |
| Strikeouts per 9 IP | 9.5 (1st) | 8.7 (8th) |
| Walks per 9 IP | 2.6 (1st) | 3.3 (9th-T) |
| Home Runs per 200 IP | 24.3 (8th-T) | 23.7 (6th) |
| BABIP | .286 (3rd) | .282 (2nd) |
The only thing the Dodgers did poorly as a pitching staff was allow home runs. That was more of a strength for the Brewers, and they will need to be at their best to stop the Dodgers home run onslaught. The Brewers look like they have a slightly better defense. Otherwise, two Dodgers strengths, batters drawing walks and pitchers striking out opponents play to two Brewers weaknesses, pitchers issuing walks and batters striking out.
Although the Brewers finished with a better record, the Dodgers were probably the better team. The match-up of strengths and weaknesses also favor the Dodgers. I give Los Angeles a 65% chance of winning the NLCS.