Dodgers-Brewers NLCS Rematch Set After Padres, Braves Eliminated

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers will meet in the 2026 National League Championship Series, a rematch of last year's NLCS, ESPN reported.

Los Angeles clinched its spot with a win over the Atlanta Braves, advancing to its third straight NLCS. Milwaukee followed hours later by eliminating the San Diego Padres.

How did each team reach the NLCS?

The Dodgers got past Atlanta on a clutch hit from No. 9 hitter Pages, according to ESPN's coverage of the series. The Brewers closed out San Diego behind what ESPN described as a late home run robbery by Mitchell that helped seal the win and set up the rematch with Los Angeles.

What happened the last time these teams met?

This is not the first meeting between the two clubs in October. The Dodgers swept the Brewers in four games during the 2025 NLCS, and Milwaukee scored four total runs across that entire series, ESPN noted in its preview.

"During the Dodgers' four-game sweep in the 2025 NLCS, the Brewers scored four total runs. There's not much more you need to know about Milwaukee's challenge in the next round," ESPN's panel wrote.

That history frames the matchup entering this year's series, even as ESPN's writers describe a Brewers roster that has changed since last fall.

How do the two rosters compare this time?

ESPN's panel described the Dodgers' core of stars as having "somewhat slowed down" over the course of the year, while characterizing Milwaukee's young foundation as having "coalesced into baseball's best team." The outlet frames the series as a test of whether an improved version of the Brewers' offensive approach can finally break through against a Los Angeles roster that dominated the same matchup a year ago.

What does each team need to do to reach the World Series?

ESPN's multi-author preview breaks down series paths for both clubs, though specific tactical keys were not detailed in the portion of the preview reviewed. The outlet frames the central question as whether Milwaukee's roster growth over the past year is enough to overcome a Dodgers team that has already won this exact series once.

By the numbers

ESPN's preview includes two statistical models behind its series projections:

• Matchup odds come from analyst Bradford Doolittle's formula, which uses team power ratings as the basis for 10,000 simulations to project series outcomes.
• Team "temperature" ratings, based on a formula developed by Bill James to gauge how hot or cold a team is playing, use an average reading of 72 degrees as the baseline.

In last year's NLCS, the underlying numbers were stark: a four-game sweep by the Dodgers in which Milwaukee managed four total runs across the series.

The 2026 NLCS schedule and additional matchup analysis, including X-factor breakdowns for both rosters, are detailed in ESPN's full preview.