Looking back at past brewers and Dodgers matches

Tomorrow evening, the Brewers and Dodgers will begin a three-game series to kick off the 2020 post-season season for these two teams. While teams are a lot different than they were in previous seasons, looking back at past series can give us an indication of how they were confronted. Even though they didn’t play in 2020, they played every year before that, and the results are close. Let’s take a look at the last 10 seasons these two teams have played each other.

2019: 3-4

2-1 @ Dodger Stadium
1-3 @ Miller Park

After the 2018 NLCS, two early season series between these two teams have garnered much attention from baseball. The first series took place from April 12-14 at Dodger Stadium, with the Brewers team taking 2 out of 3 matches. Unfortunately, the Home Series a few days later (April 18-21) did not go well, with the Brewers losing 3 by 4. A few of those games were late, but the Brewers team couldn’t win.

2018: 6-8

2-2 Regular Season, 1-2 postseason @ Dodger Stadium
1-2 Regular Season, 2-2 postseason @ Miller Park

The 2018 meetings between these two teams will become one of the most memorable meetings between the two teams for many years. They first met in Milwaukee after an all-star break, and the Dodgers 2 of 3 took over at the July 20-22 meeting. A week later, the two teams met again in Los Angeles, with slightly better results for the Brewers. The series split there 2–2, with Browers taking the first two matches and the last two dodgers.

Of course, the series we’ll remember for years is the 2018 NLCS post-season that year. With the court advantage at home, the Brewers started going strong and managed to beat Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, winning 6-5 and 1–0 early in the series. Game 2 started well for the Brewers, leading 3–0 in the match. However, Bullpen couldn’t lead, and the Brewers ended up losing 4-3 to send the series a 1-1 tie to Los Angeles.

The Brewers quickly bounced back and regained the lead in the series, as Jhoulys Chacin led the team to a 4–0 lockdown in Game 3. In Game 4, the duel of pitchers and both teams became relentless, sending the game into additional roles. In the thirteenth game, the Dodgers shook the 2-1 victory and the series drew 2-2. The fifth game is most famous for recalling a change of pitch after one racket, as Wade Miley “started” the game before he was replaced by Brandon Woodruff. The move didn’t end as successful as the brewers had hoped, and while it took a few rounds, the Dodgers broke through the Brewers’ team in the end and clinched a 5–2 win, sending the series to Milwaukee with the Brewers down 3-2.

With the home crowd behind the Brewers, they started hard and didn’t look back at Game 6. Although the Dodgers scored right at the start, the Brewers answered four runs in the lower half and never looked back as they dominated a 7-2 win to force Game 7 to define the series. The Brewers took the early lead in Game 7 with a first-half round, but the Dodgers answered twice per second, and the game remained 2–1 through 6. It was there where the Dodgers took full control, putting them three runs on their home turf and giving them a Game 7 win.

2017: 3-3

2-1 @ Dodger Stadium
1-2 in Miller Park

2017 was another year soon between the two teams. The Brewers went home 1-2 on the chain between June 2-4. This included a 12-game loss 2-1 in the first meeting between the two teams, then a 10-8 loss the next day before a 3-0 closure to end the series. They met again in late August in Los Angeles, with the Brewers taking the series 2–1. All three matches were close, with the Dodgers starting the series with a 3–1 victory before the Brewers taking the next two matches, 3–2 and 3–0.

2016: 2-5

1-3 @ Dodger Stadium
1-2 in Miller Park

The 2016 season was more than one sided between these two teams. They met for the first time from June 16-19, as the Dodgers took 3 of 4 in Los Angeles, including two of those who were out. They met again a week and a half later in Milwaukee, and the Dodgers took 2 of 3 in that series.

2015: 3-4

1-2 @ Dodger Stadium
2-2 @ Miller Park

Although this year’s series doesn’t look much different from its predecessors, the 2015 series was a key moment for the franchise. Before their series debut at Miller Park starting May 4, the Brewers made a change of training, with manager Ron Roenicke fired after starting the season 7–18. The series against the Dodgers would be Craig Counsell’s first manager for the Brewers, and began with a 4-3 win over the Dodgers. The Brewers would go on to split that chain 2-2 to begin Counsell’s managerial career. The two met again on July 10-12, with the Dodgers taking 2 of 3 in that series in Los Angeles.

The previous five years

Here’s a quick look at the five years leading up to the 2015 season:

• 2014: 5-1 (3-0 on the road, 2-1 at home)
• 2013: 2-4 (1-2 on the road, 1-2 at home)
• 2012: 6-1 (4-0 on the road, 2-1 at home)
• 2011: 4-2 (1-1 on the road, 3-1 at home)
• 2010: 2-4 (2-1 on the road, 0-3 at home)

Results were mixed and generally favored one aspect. The Brewers won the season 3 series from 5 years, with the Dodgers taking another two years.

Looking back at the last ten years these teams have generally played, these two tended to be very equal, with the two teams tied at 36-36. Regardless of the year, they played well against each other and we hope this continues beyond the season. This is one interesting observation from these records. The Brewers have actually played better in Los Angeles than they have played at home. The Brewers have a record of 20-15 in these 10 seasons at Dodger Stadium, compared to a record of 16-21 at Miller Park.

Does this mean he will transfer to the after season series of this year? not necessarily. These two clubs are very different from any team in the past. The Dodgers definitely has a huge advantage in the series. However, beer machines do not count by any means. They have a chance to take a postseason series here, and history shows this can go either way.

Statistics from Baseball Reference