Jake Bauers endures a 12-pitch walk versus Yoshinobu Yamamoto as Christian Yelich sits amid Brewers’ NLCS adjustments

Milwaukee’s hitters leaned into the long matchup early in the National League Championship Series, and one at-bat helped set the tone. Jake Bauers worked a 12-pitch walk against Los Angeles starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a stretch that underscored how the Brewers tried to neutralize an elite arm not by chasing early pitches, but by lengthening the at-bat until the pitcher’s leverage shifted.

The context matters because Yamamoto is the type of postseason starter who benefits when hitters swing early in counts and allow him to settle into his rhythm. A walk after 12 pitches does not change the game by itself, but it indicates a deliberate plan: force the matchup into a higher-stress zone for the pitcher and increase the likelihood that a starter has fewer comfortable offerings later in the inning. In a short postseason sample, that kind of pressure can matter as innings tighten and bullpen usage becomes a central thread of every decision.

The bigger storyline coming out of Milwaukee on Monday was managerial. Pat Murphy, described in the league report as a manager who regularly second-guesses himself, was doing exactly that in the hours before Game 2. The specific adjustment he was reflecting on was roster related, with Murphy having left Christian Yelich out of the lineup in the prior game, according to the same report.

That kind of lineup call carries both baseball and public-facing weight in October. Yelich is not merely a name in the batting order, he represents established postseason presence and a player whose presence can change how a defense plays and how a pitcher attacks the zone. Even when the decision is routine in-season, postseason managers are often judged on whether a bold call pays off quickly, because the margins for error are slim and there are fewer games to correct course.

From the on-field sequence described by MLB, Bauers’ 12-pitch at-bat became an early example of what Milwaukee was trying to do offensively: avoid getting pulled into Yamamoto’s timing. That approach also fits the larger postseason reality that the team that makes the starter work is more likely to see earlier mistakes, even if the game remains tight in the short run.

As the day moved forward toward Game 2, the Brewers’ challenge would be to turn isolated quality into sustained pressure. The league report also notes that “the Crew’s captain” cashed in, suggesting that after Milwaukee extended the confrontation, it still needed the next steps that turn batters’ patience into scoring chances. In a series like this, those “next steps” often decide whether one inning becomes a trend or merely a highlight.

The key to watch next is whether Milwaukee’s approach to elite pitching stays consistent through multiple at-bats and innings. If the Brewers can repeatedly force long counts and capitalize on the moments when a pitcher’s command slips, they can sustain pressure even against a top-end starter like Yamamoto. If not, the series may hinge more on one-run swings, making each lineup adjustment and each managerial bet that much more consequential.