The matchup between the Dodgers and Brewers on Tuesday night in Milwaukee was a treat for baseball lovers. Considering where both teams stand in the NL playoff race, the game was already enticing, but the pitching matchup heightened the interest. Clayton Kershaw, a surefire future Hall of Famer, was coming off his 3,000th career strikeout start and was pitted against Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski, who was making his fifth big league start.
Kershaw performed respectably, allowing two runs on six hits across six innings.
However, the younger Misiorowski outshone him, despite surrendering an initial leadoff home run to Shohei Ohtani. That single homer accounted for nearly all the adversity Misiorowski faced throughout the night. From that point forward, he largely dominated the formidable Dodgers’ lineup, often making them appear off-balance. He primarily alternated between fastballs, sliders, and curves, occasionally mixing in changeups. His curveball proved particularly effective, drawing 13 swings out of 21 attempts, with eight resulting in misses.
WATCH: Shohei Ohtani makes Dodgers history with 431-foot home run vs. Brewers
Matt Snyder
Over his six innings pitched, Misiorowski conceded just that lone run on four hits, issuing one walk and racking up an impressive 12 strikeouts. This total was just one shy of the Brewers’ rookie record, held by his current teammate Freddy Peralta, who achieved 13 strikeouts on May 13, 2018.
For tangible evidence of his dominant performance, here’s a compilation of his strikeouts, beginning with Misiorowski fanning Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman:
Across his five career starts, Misiorowski now boasts a 4-1 record with a 2.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts. There were some concerns about his walks when he first joined the team, particularly after walking four batters in five innings during his debut. However, he has since issued 11 walks in 25 ⅔ innings, which, while not an exceptionally low percentage, isn’t significantly detrimental to his overall performance at this point. According to CBS Sports research, Misiorowski stands as only the second pitcher in the modern era (since 1901) to allow just one run with six or fewer hits in his initial three home starts.
Coupled with the Cubs’ defeat in Minnesota, this Brewers’ victory brings them within 2.5 games of the lead in the NL Central division.
On the other hand, the Dodgers have now suffered five consecutive losses, marking their longest losing streak since May 21-26, 2024. Ironically, the Dodgers went on to secure the World Series title that season. Their last six-game losing streak occurred from April 8 through April 13, 2019.
This series is set to conclude with a Wednesday matinee, scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET in Milwaukee. The pitching matchup features José Quintana for the Brewers facing off against Tyler Glasnow, who is returning from an injury, for the Dodgers.
