The Milwaukee Brewers struck first on Sunday night and have the early lead in the National League Championship Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Unsurprisingly, it was a low-scoring and close game with Jacob Misiorowski taking the hill for the Brewers and Tarik Skubal for the Dodgers. The Brewers won, 2-1, thanks to a Brice Turang homer, a well-timed Luis Lara RBI base hit and yet another elite performance from the Milwaukee bullpen.
It was a great night for the Brewers, to say the least. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the showdown.
Winners
Brice Turang
Turang struggled in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres. Turang went 2-for-16 at the plate with three strikeouts, one stolen base and two walks. He was red-hot down the stretch in the regular season, but it didn’t carry over to the NLDS. The switch immediately flipped in the NLCS, though. Turang looked like himself and belted a homer off Skubal to give the Brewers their first run of the night and knot the score in the fourth inning.
Plus, he was elite defensively throughout the contest as well.
If you’re a Brewers fan, this is exactly what you should be hoping for at this point. If Turang can heat up in the series, Milwaukee will be a tough out.
Luis Lara
The rookie was in the lineup because the lefty Skubal was on the hill. The decision worked out and Lara drove in what would go on to be the game-winning run with a single up in the middle in the fifth inning.
The Bullpen
Misiorowski tossed 4 1/3 innings before handing the ball off to the bullpen. It shined once again. The Brewers’ bullpen combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings and just two base hits.
Losers
Tarik Skubal
Throughout the summer, Skubal was linked to the Brewers as a potential trade chip when he was still a member of the Detroit Tigers. Things didn’t work out. The Dodgers got him and he earned the first loss of the NLCS. He was good throughout the game and pitched five innings and allowed two runs while striking out seven. But, again, he suffered the loss in Game 1 and now the Brewers are in control.
Will Smith/Enrique Hernandez
Smith and Hernandez combined to go 0-for-6 at the plate in Game 1. Both have been struggling throughout the playoffs so far. Smith is slashing .053/.100/.053. Hernandez is slashing .111/.111/.444.
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