Brewers on tap: Nine things to know

Dodgers square off against team that had best record in MLB this season and holds home-field advantage

- BY JACK HARRIS

PATRICK MCDERMOTT Getty Images MILWAUKEE'S Brice Turang hits a solo homer in the seventh inning of the Brewers' series-clinching win against the Cubs in the National League Division Series.

The Dodgers were on double duty Saturday night.

As they worked out at Dodger Stadium, two days after winning their National League Division Series over the Philadelphia Phillies, they had Game 5 of the other NLDS on the scoreboard — getting a first look at their NL Championship Series opponent.

“It’s certainly nice to be able to get a couple days to reset, prepare, and we're kind of doing our due diligence,” manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday afternoon. “We'll have that game on the big board.”

What they saw as they worked out was a 3-1 Milwaukee Brewers win that sets up an NLCS opener on Monday at American Family Field.

As of Saturday, the Dodgers were awaiting their opponent before picking a Game 1 starter or finalizing their NLCS roster.

Now, they know who they’ll be facing with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Ahead of this week’s NLCS, here are nine things to know about the Brewers:

An identifiable brand

The Brewers’ $143-million payroll this year was less than 20 other teams in Major League Baseball — including the historically bad Colorado Rockies — and almost one-third the size of the Dodgers.

That meant, in lieu of star talent and potent offensive weapons, the Brewers had to build their team around playing a particular brand of baseball. And on offense, where they were third in the majors in scoring this year, that led them to go all-in on a small-ball approach.

Geoff StellFOX Getty Images TWO-TIME ALL-STAR Freddy Peralta has been the Brewers' one true ace this season.