The MLB’s final four is set, as the Milwaukee Brewers outlasted the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NLDS on Saturday night.
Their reward? A date with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with the series set to commence on Monday.
My Dodgers vs Brewers NLCS predictions and MLB picks break down why Milwaukee's magic will come to an end against Shohei Ohtani & Co.
Best Dodgers vs Brewers predictions
Dodgers to win the series (-200 at Caesars)- NLCS to go seven games (+450 at Caesars)
- Shohei Ohtani to hit 2+ home runs in series (-110 at Caesars)
Dodgers vs Brewers market snapshot
The Los Angeles Dodgers have -200 odds at Caesars to make a return trip to the World Series, including +120 odds to keep the trophy in Southern California.
LA is attempting to become the first repeat winner since the Yankees ripped off three ‘chips from 1998-2000.
Despite owning baseball’s best record and home-field advantage, the Milwaukee Brewers are listed at +165 to knock off the Dodgers. Milwaukee also has the lowest odds to win the World Series of any team still kicking, currently priced at +375.
The shortest odds for a Dodgers’ series win is to wrap things up in five games, at +375, while a sweep has the most juice, at +800. The Brewers winning in seven has the shortest odds at +550, while a sweep has the longest at +1800.
Dodgers vs Brewers series winner prediction
Pick: Dodgers (-200 at Caesars)
This is nothing against the Brewers, who have been great all season, but the Dodgers just happened to get back to their normal selves in time to do some damage in the postseason.
LA failed to take a game against Milwaukee this season, dropping all six head-to-head matchups, but there’s no question what roster the books feel is most talented and deepest.
Although Milwaukee’s bullpen has been lights out in the postseason, sporting a sparkling 1.20 ERA, it’s the only clear advantage manager Pat Murphy has to fight with. He’ll need those arms to gut out some big innings in Games 1 and 2 if the Brewers want to stay in this series.
LA hasn’t had to worry about its pitching so far in the playoffs, having won five of six games to get here, with only two decided by a single run.
When it matters most, the Dodgers have proven they can squeeze out the wins needed to advance.
Dodgers vs Brewers total series games prediction
Pick: Dodgers in seven (+450 at Caesars)
Of those avenues we talked about, how about Shohei Ohtani awakening from his postseason slumber and beginning to mash?
The Dodgers’ star is hitting a paltry .148 in the playoffs with two home runs and five RBI, with most of those numbers coming against Cincinnati in Game 1 of the Wild Card series, when he homered and drove in three.
LA has absorbed his struggles and hardly flinched. Mookie Betts is hitting .385 and leads the team with 10 hits, including four extra-base knocks, while Teoscar Hernandez leads the team with three homers and nine RBI.
The Brewers boasted the second-best ERA in all of baseball in 2025, but the Dodgers were inside the Top 6 in all of the major hitting categories, including second in slugging and OPS.
LA’s starting pitching has held up in the postseason, with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani combining to deliver five quality starts through six games.
They’ll need to stay hot, as Milwaukee has shown both the ability to hit with pop (seven home runs through five games) and stay above its Top 3 regular-season average, hitting .260 in the playoffs.
It’s close — so I default to the guys who know what it takes to win in October to survive.
Dodgers vs Brewers player prop prediction
Pick: Shohei Ohtani to hit 2+ home runs in the series (-110 at Caesars)
Baseball is perhaps the ultimate team game, but there’s no one else on the planet who can shift the momentum with his bat more than Ohtani.
After going mostly silent through the first two rounds of the playoffs, he’s got -110 odds to get back to the business of hitting against Milwaukee.
In 13 games against the Brewers since joining the Dodgers, he’s homered six times and driven in 11 runs.
