The Brewers are straight up turning the NLCS into a track meet, and it’s absolutely killing the Dodgers right now. Runs have been a premium for LA, but Milwaukee’s making it look easy, getting on base and daring these pitchers to stop them.
A Nightmare on the Basepaths
Seriously, this whole situation gives me major flashbacks to May 26, 2023. I was stuck at Tropicana Field, watching Noah Syndergaard get absolutely bullied. The Rays turned that game into a track meet, running all over him. I mean, Taylor Walls stole second *and* third on consecutive pitches, it was brutal! That’s when I coined the phrase “being trapped at the ballpark” because it was such a one-sided, dreary mess. It wasn’t fun at all. Now, we’re seeing the same thing, but in the NLCS, and the Brewers are just running at will on Dodger pitching. It’s a huge problem.
Pitching Pains: Who’s Letting ‘Em Run?
I totally figured runs would be tight in this series. I even thought Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be fine, but man, was I wrong. While those two aren’t dishing out free passes, Blake Snell and especially Tyler Glasnow are just middling when it comes to holding runners this season. Snell has let 10 guys steal on him in 13 attempts, and Glasnow is even worse, with 14 steals allowed in 17 attempts. Those are terrible numbers! Skubal allowed 4 steals in 4 attempts with Los Angeles, and Yamamoto has given up 6 steals in 10 tries. This isn’t 2023-Syndergaard bad, but if the Brewers keep turning the bases into a track meet, it totally plays into their style. Snell and Glasnow absolutely have to pitch better than they did earlier in the NLDS. If they combine for another ten walks in the next 48 hours, any shot at a comeback in this series is probably over before it even gets started.
Catcher Conundrum: Where’s Will Smith’s Arm?
It’s not just the guys on the mound, either. Will Smith, who used to be a beast behind the plate, isn’t looking like himself. In 2026, he’s nabbed only 10 base stealers in 49 attempts during the regular season, giving him a 20.4% caught-stealing rate. The league average is 23.3%, so he’s below that. This is a far cry from 2024 when he led all of baseball, catching 32 out of 96 would-be base stealers! And if you’re wondering if Hunter Feduccia would be better at slowing down the Brewers, probably not. With the Rays in 59 games this year, there were 37 stolen bases in 49 attempts against him, which is a 24.5% caught-stealing rate. He was with the Dodgers for 31 games, but the numbers aren’t making anyone feel great.
This team needs to figure out how to stop the run game, and fast. The series is hanging by a thread, and if they don’t tighten up, we’re looking at an early exit.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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