Dodgers vs. Brewers Game 2: Prediction, Betting Odds, Starting Pitchers For Saturday's NLCS

After a wild Game 1 of the National League Championship Series that included a relief pitcher hitting a solo home run against one of the best starting pitchers of this generation, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers meet at Miller Park on Saturday in Game 2 in another battle of left-handers.

The Brewers barely edged the Dodgers on Friday, 6-5, in a game that had plenty of surprises. The most notable moment came in the third inning when relief pitcher Brandon Woodruff, batting from the left side of the plate, homered against three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. Entering the game, Woodruff had just eight at-bats in the 2018 regular season.

"It's something obviously coming into the day, you don't know in your wildest dreams that's going to happen," said Woodruff, who also threw two shutout innings.

Game 1 may also be remembered for some of the lackluster performances.

Not only was Kershaw chased after three innings, but star players like the Dodgers' Justin Turner and the Brewers' Christian Yelich, had forgettable efforts. Turner, who had a fielding error in the bottom of the eighth inning, failed to reach base, striking out four times in five at-bats. Yelich had a walk, but in four at-bats struck out three times and grounded into a double play.

Then there was Yasmani Grandal.

The normally reliable catcher had a nightmare game behind the plate with two passed balls and two errors. Grandal had a single, but also struck out twice.

Game 2 features Wade Miley pitching for Milwaukee against Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Ryu, who is 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in four career postseason starts, is coming off an excellent performance against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the NL Division Series, when he threw seven shutout innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits.

The Brewers counter with Miley, who on Sunday threw 4 2/3 shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies. Miley owns 4-5 record and a 3.55 ERA in 15 career games against the Dodgers, and has looked sharp against Los Angeles in 2018, having not allowed a run over 13 innings.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts may be hesitant to go to the bullpen Saturday, as Ryu has pitched at least six innings in his last four starts and has only allowed one earned run in that span. In the regular season, Ryu had a 1.97 ERA over 82.1 innings.

It wouldn't be surprising if Miley is pulled before the fifth inning. The 31-year-old has not pitched beyond five innings in his last five starts. In Game 1, manager Craig Counsell went to the bullpen after two innings, despite starter Gio Gonzalez allowing just one earned run — a solo shot by Manny Machado.

Westgate Superbook lists the Dodgers as the favorite at -127, while the Brewers are the underdogs at +117. The over/under is 8.5 runs.

Prediction: This should be somewhat of a pitchers duel, relative to Game 1. Ryu will likely stay on the mound beyond the sixth inning, while Miley might get pulled by the fifth. The Dodgers can expect more from bats like Turner and Enrique Hernandez, while Yelich and Lorenzo Cain should figure more prominently for Milwaukee.

Dodgers over Brewers, 4-2