Tarik Skubal carried the Dodgers through the first turn of the Brewers’ order Sunday night, then Milwaukee found the few openings it needed in a 2-1 Game 1 lead after five innings of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field.
| Team | R | Key scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 1 | Andy Pages RBI single, 2nd inning |
| Brewers | 2 | Brice Turang home run, 4th; Luis Lara RBI single, 5th |
Skubal strong early, Brewers adjust
The two-time Cy Young Award winner, acquired by Los Angeles during the summer, had been a model of steadiness entering his eighth postseason start. This was the first time in that run that he did not work beyond the fifth inning.
Skubal was sharp from the opening pitch. He retired nine of the first 10 Milwaukee hitters and struck out six, with Andrew Vaughn’s second-inning double standing as the only early blemish.
Los Angeles had taken a 1-0 lead when Pages singled home a run in the second against Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski, the leading candidate for this season’s National League Cy Young Award. The Dodgers knocked Misiorowski out with one out in the fifth, but could not add to Pages’ hit.
Turang changes the look of the night
Milwaukee got a second look at Skubal in the fourth and immediately turned the game. Brice Turang opened the inning by taking two balls, then drove an inside sinker to left-center for a projected 384-foot homer. Pages could not reach it, and the game was even.
The Brewers pressed their advantage in the fifth. Garrett Mitchell drew a leadoff walk, Cooper Pratt moved him to second with a bunt, and Luis Lara lined a single through the middle to bring Mitchell home.
Skubal then faced another difficult moment after Jackson Chourio singled and Turang walked to load the bases. He avoided further damage by getting William Contreras to fly out, but the inning pushed his total to 81 pitches.
Alex Vesia took over for the Dodgers in the sixth. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. ET, with the series remaining in Milwaukee.
