All four remaining teams in the 2026 MLB playoffs are underway Monday, with the American League Championship Series opener between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays taking center stage alongside the National League showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers have taken control of the NLCS, winning Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead as they prepare to head west to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Guardians and Rays are locked in a tight battle in the ALCS opener.
Stay here for pregame lineups, in-game highlights and postgame analysis from both games.
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LAD-MIL | CLE-TB
Top moments from Tampa Bay’s Game 1 performance:
Mullins cuts the deficit
Cedric Mullins brings the Rays within one https://t.co/MMC3CIrpWn
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Guardians take the lead in the eighth
GET LOWE! Nathaniel Lowe’s 2-run single puts the Guardians ahead in the 8th! https://t.co/PiWTYtKuUJ
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Patrick Bailey makes this a tie ballgame
Patrick Bailey ties the game with a solo shot! https://t.co/U8nPaiucVO
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Guardians on the board
Chase DeLauter gets a run back for the Guardians! https://t.co/dtYgH6QdbB
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Rays up two after one
Jonny DeLuca drives in Junior Caminero to pad the Rays lead! https://t.co/vsZvs7k3tL
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Caminero helps Rays strike first
Junior Caminero and the Rays strike first in the ALCS! https://t.co/caRgcAaLH2
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Milwaukee leads series 2-0
Game 2 Analysis: Brewers Continue Dominance
It was over when … Pat Murphy made the bold decision to pencil William Contreras in at the 3-hole before the game, and it paid dividends once again. Contreras emerged as the offensive catalyst for Milwaukee throughout the back-and-forth contest, driving in three runs and launching a long home run to center field off Dodgers lefty Kris Bubic.
Game 2 star … While Contreras drove the offense, the Brewers’ bullpen once again proved invaluable. Milwaukee relievers have allowed just one earned run across 28⅔ innings during the postseason, demonstrating why pitching depth is so crucial in October.
The stat that defined the game … 4. That’s how many swing-and-misses the Brewers recorded against Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 75 pitches. Milwaukee saw an impressive 5.3 pitches per plate appearance with Yamamoto on the mound and chased him before the end of the third inning. This patient, disciplined approach exemplifies what makes this Brewers team dangerous.
What it means for the rest of the series … For the Dodgers, this is a concerning trend. While it’s premature to count out the two-time defending champions, they have now lost both games despite having their top pitchers—Tarik Skubal and Yamamoto—lined up for the first two contests. The Brewers are sitting in an advantageous position. — Bradford Doolittle
Top moments from Milwaukee’s Game 2 victory:
Two games, two wins for the Brew Crew
FINAL: Brewers 7, Dodgers 4
Milwaukee takes a 2-0 lead in the NLCS. The Brewers are everything we thought they were. It’s a menacing, delightful brand of baseball.
The Dodgers are in rough shape. They haven’t hit. Didn’t win a Yamamoto start. Much to fix, little time to fix it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 13, 2026
Brewers add to their lead again
Jake Bauers adds another for the Brewers! https://t.co/kSGXySkO6x
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Turang, Brewers tack on insurance run
The Brewers tack on a huge insurance run in the 8th! https://t.co/icHB3vccJU
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
Brewers three outs away from another win
Brewers are 3 outs away from a 2-0 series lead in the NLCS! https://t.co/qsAeNgjZ0l
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 13, 2026
Contreras comes through again
William Contreras puts the Brewers in front! He’s got 3 RBI tonight https://t.co/IHA682RpfR
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
Contreras corks one 436 feet!
WILLIAM CONTRERAS, TIE GAME https://t.co/TGRX9LxhEU
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
Freeman’s sac fly puts L.A. up 4-3
Freddie Freeman gives the Dodgers the lead! https://t.co/B6Udp0K4zT
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
Another wild throw from Henderson and they’re tied again
The Dodgers tie it in the 5th! https://t.co/38r4GB9BHh
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
The captain drives in two, knocks out Yamamoto
CHRISTIAN YELICH COMES THROUGH!
BREWERS LEAD https://t.co/eZ2VMwaYki
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
Impressive sequence from the Brewers. Jake Bauers fouled off six straight pitches and worked a 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto to load the bases. Then Christian Yelich popped a two-run single up the middle. Brewers lead, 3-2, and Yamamoto is done. It’s the third inning.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 12, 2026
Dodgers take lead back on wild pickoff throw
The @Dodgers take the lead in the 3rd inning! https://t.co/gbE5vjFXeU
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
Four of the Dodgers’ five batted balls against Logan Henderson in the third inning were above 95 mph. One was caught near the warning track by Sal Frelick. Another was booted at shortstop by Cooper Pratt. That and an errant pickoff throw has given the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) October 12, 2026
Brewers immediately answer in bottom of first
William Contreras responds and the game is tied! https://t.co/3c3NxTNt8C
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
Dodgers strike first in Milwaukee
Teoscar Hernández gets the job done and the @Dodgers take a 1st inning lead! https://t.co/WVRxm0nDDz
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2026
