Brewers Title Run? Judge, Ohtani Homerless in 2026 MLB Playoffs — SkimNews
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- Jackson Chourio has a homer and four RBIs through two NLDS games against the Padres, fueling expert predictions he'll win both LCS and World Series MVPs and lead Milwaukee to its first title.
- The Brewers hold a 2-0 series lead over the Padres in the NLDS but have come from behind in both wins; one expert predicts they'll trail in every postseason game en route to the championship.
- Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will both finish the 2026 postseason without a home run, per Buster Olney, with Ohtani described as off-balance and facing Chris Sale in Game 3.
- Fastball usage in the postseason has spiked to 51.2% — the highest since 52.5% in 2018 — with four-seamers averaging a record 96.6 mph this October.
- Young pitchers including Jacob Misiorowski, Cam Schlittler, Parker Messick, and Hagen Smith combined for 25⅔ innings, 31 strikeouts, and a 2.10 ERA through the first two days of division series play.
- Pitch tipping is emerging as a defining postseason theme, with online sleuths theorizing that Padres reliever Mason Miller's wrist orientation tipped his slider to Chourio before a game-winning hit.
Why it matters: The early 2026 MLB playoff action is bucking recent trends — fastball velocity is at a multi-year high, rookies are overwhelming lineups, and two of the sport's biggest stars are scuffling. If the bolder expert calls land, the Brewers capture their first title and the Dodgers' dynasty ends abruptly, with the changeup or fastball debate becoming October's defining tactical story.
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