A clash of National League titans. A rematch of the 2025 NLCS. A really good way to wind down on a Friday night.
Call this contest between the Brewers and the Dodgers whatever you want. Just know it’s a fun one. Let’s preview this star-studded night cap to the MLB slate and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Brewers at Dodgers prediction, preview
After sweeping the Royals this week, it felt like the Dodgers were finally coming out of their mini mid-season slump. Well, Edwin Diaz had other ideas. In the first year of a $69 million deal, Diaz has been mostly injured, yet somehow even more detrimental to the club’s success when available. That trend reared its ugly head again last night, as Diaz blew a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning, gifting Milwaukee a 5-4 victory. It’s a small sample, but Diaz owns an 11.57 ERA in 2026. Woof.
Still, if there’s one person I would want on the mound after such a devastating loss, it’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Career-low marks in strikeout rate (23.8%) and swinging strike rate (11.1%) mean Yamamoto’s underlying metrics aren’t as eye-popping as usual, but the soon-to-be 28-year-old does own a 2.65 ERA across 139.1 innings this season — the eighth-lowest qualified mark in MLB. Yamamoto’s also inducing a career-best 34.9% opponent hard hit rate, which is just outside the top 10 figures in the sport. If you’re going to give up more batted ball events, at least make sure they’re of low quality, right?
Opposing Yamamoto on the mound will be Robert Gasser. The lefty comes into the day with a 4.57 ERA and a 4.51 FIP, yet a lot of the damage Gasser has conceded this season has been concentrated into two poor starts: Seven earned runs against the Pirates on July 12 and six earned runs against the Athletics on June 9. In eight of his other 11 outings, Gasser’s held his opponent to two earned runs or fewer. He’s generally solid, if unspectacular, as evidenced by his career 3.85 xERA.
Gasser might be catching the Dodgers at the right time, too. In August, the club owns an underwhelming 89 wRC+ and much of the issue has been Los Angeles’ contingent of right-handed bats. Will Smith is injured, Mookie Betts still doesn’t look like himself, while Teoscar Hernandez appears to be in the twilight of his run as a capable middle-of-the-order bat. Obviously the Dodgers continue to employ Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker, but that quartet is all left-handed. LHBs are hitting only .178 off Gasser in 2026. It’s a sneaky-good spot for the Brewers’ southpaw.
Brewers at Dodgers pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 8 (-126)
Aside from the presence of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the under is in play thanks to these two lineups. The Brewers have hit the fewest home runs in baseball (111), while the Dodgers sport just an 89 wRC+ in the month of August. I think this one stays low-scoring.
Strong Lean: Yoshinobu Yamamoto 7+ Strikeouts (-134)
Yamamoto’s only cleared this prop in half of his last 18 starts, yet matchup is important here. In August, Milwaukee owns a 27.1% strikeout rate — the highest mark in the National League.
