Slumping Brewers must improve their approach at the plate to have any hope of coming back in NLCS

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are making the types of mistakes at the plate that they avoided while producing the best regular-season record in the major leagues.

No wonder they’re leaving home facing a 2-0 deficit against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

“We’ve just got to play better,” Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich said. “It’s not an ideal start to the series, by any means. Just have to continue to battle and find a way to get the offense going. I’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better. It’s just facts.”

The Brewers ranked second in the majors in on-base percentage (.332) and third in runs (806) and batting average (.258) while posting a franchise-best 97-65 regular-season record.

But they’ve totaled just five hits through the first two games of this series and mustered only one run in each of them.

The Brewers got just two hits in a 2-1 Game 1 loss, as two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell allowed one hit and no walks over eight shutout innings fo Los Angeles. They managed three hits Tuesday and fell 5-1 as Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched the first postseason complete game in eight years.

During the regular season, the Brewers had the best chase rate in the majors, meaning they swung at the lowest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone. But their inability to work counts the last two night allowed Los Angeles’ starters to go deep into the games and prevented the Brewers from getting many shots at the Dodgers’ vulnerable bullpen.

“Both those pitchers were as dominant as two pitchers have been,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “We chased way more than we’ve chased all year. We’ve been the best in baseball at not chasing. These pitchers brought out the worst in us.”

The most notable example came when Blake Treinen struck out Brice Turang swinging at a neck-high fastball with the bases loaded to end Game 1.

But the chasing was prevalent again Tuesday, allowing Yamamoto to pitch a complete game for the first time since entering the majors last season on a 12-year, $325 million contract.

Jackson Chourio homered on Yamamoto’s first pitch to continue his impressive postseason. The 21-year-old already has four career postseason homers to tie a Brewers record he now shares with Orlando Arcia and Prince Fielder.

But the Brewers accomplished little else. Their only other hits were two-out singles by Brice Turang in the third inning and Sal Frelick in the fourth.

The lack of punch was particularly frustrating because the Brewers had knocked Yamamoto out in the first inning of a 9-1 victory over the Dodgers the one time they faced him in the regular season. Yamamoto gave up five runs — three earned — and got only two outs in that July 7 game.

This time, the Brewers had no answers for him.

“He wasn’t missing over the middle of the plate,” Turang said. “We hit some balls hard but they were standing right there. Sometimes it’s part of the game. He hit his spots.”

Milwaukee’s struggles are up and down the lineup thus far in the series.

Yelich, a three-time All-Star and the 2018 NL MVP, is 0 for 13 in his last four games. Two-time All-Star William Contreras and Andrew Vaughn each homered twice in the NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, but both are hitless so far in this series.

“We’ve got to take batter at-bats,” Chourio said through an interpreter. “That’s where it begins. But you have to credit those guys. But we haven’t had so much luck go our way. We have to stick with our plan and stick with process and hopefully change things around.”

The Brewers remain confident they can turn this series around. They won all six regular-season matchups with the Dodgers, all in July. The Dodgers are playing much better now than they were then, but the Brewers realize they can show much more discipline at the plate than they’ve displayed the last two nights.

“You guys might have us counted out,” Murphy said. “And I understand that — 90% of the teams that have been in this situation don’t win the series. But this team has been counted out a lot this year. And I think there’s some fight left in them.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe leaves the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Championship Series, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy talks to his players durung a pitching change in the eighth inning of Game 2 of baseball's National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta walks to the dugout after the top of the fifth inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Members of the Milwaukee Brewers watch during the ninth inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers fans react during the sixth inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cedric Gray isn't concerned about Tennessee Titans fans wanting the first overall NFL draft pick for the second straight year.

The second-year linebacker and everyone else in the Titans locker room were focused on getting their second win of the season.

Behind a strong running game along with key plays on defense and special teams, the Titans snapped a seven-game skid as they held off the Cleveland Browns 31-29 on Sunday.

“We hadn’t won since Week 5, so it feels amazing,” said Gray, who had a team-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. “I’m not worried about the No. 1 overall pick. We’re ballplayers. We got heart every time we step on the field.”

Tony Pollard rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee averaged 5.3 yards per carry. The defense forced a pair of turnovers in the second half and the special teams blocked a punt, with those plays leading to 17 points.

“This is complementary football. Big plays in all three phases,” said interim coach Mike McCoy, who picked up his first win in seven games since he replaced the fired Brian Callahan.

Cam Ward, the top overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 14 of 28 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, his first game with multiple TD tosses. Ward also threw an interception but was sacked only once, the first time this season hadn't been taken down at least twice.

Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his third start, and he also ran for a score in a matchup of rookies. However, Sanders threw a costly interception in the third quarter that led to Tennessee’s go-ahead TD.

The Titans (2-11) had a 31-17 lead with 6:17 remaining before the Browns scored a pair of touchdowns. Sanders had a 7-yard scramble with 4:27 left and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:03 remaining, but the Browns (3-10) missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.

Cleveland attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Tennessee's Chimere Dike and the Titans ran out the clock.

Pollard, who had 25 carries, had a career-high 65-yard TD run late in the first quarter to give the Titans a 14-3 lead. After Cleveland rallied to take a 17-14 halftime advantage, Pollard put the Titans up for good with a 32-yard carry off left tackle. The third-quarter touchdown came two plays after Titans safety Xavier Woods picked off an ill-timed deep pass by Sanders and returned it 35 yards to the Browns 38.

After Gray recovered Dillon Sampson's fumble and returned it 19 yards to the Cleveland 8, the Titans extended their lead to 28-17 on Ward's 5-yard TD pass to Chimere Dike.

Joey Slye's field goal made it a two-touchdown advantage. That came after James Williams Sr. blocked a punt.

“Some of the things that happened that game, we expect more from our run defense,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We got to protect the ball. We had a punt blocked, and obviously not getting either the 2-point plays really off is frustrating. So that’s on all of us.”

Sanders completed 23 of 42 passes and was the Browns' first rookie quarterback since Baker Mayfield to have a 300-yard game. Fellow rookie Fannin finished with eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

“I would say as time goes on, those decisions and those things, you know, will slim down. And we won’t be in situations where I have that feeling, like, I got to make something happen," Sanders said.

The Titans scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time this season when Ward hit Ayomanor on a crossing route for a 14-yard score. Ward was 4 of 4 for 48 yards on the eight-play drive. Tennessee came into the game as the only team without a TD on an opening drive.

“About time, honestly,” Ward said. “We have to continue to be efficient. I have to be efficient, throwing to my guys open, putting it in their radius to make plays.”

Sanders had a strong second quarter to help the Browns take a 17-14 halftime lead.

He found David Njoku in the left corner of the end zone on third-and-goal at the Titans 1. With 2:47 remaining, Sanders gave the Browns the lead with a 60-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, the receiver's second TD this season.

Cleveland's Myles Garrett became the 14th player to record 20 sacks in a season when he got to Ward in the second quarter. With four games left, he needs three sacks to break the NFL record of 22 1/2 shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh's TJ Watt.

“I think we really were licking our chops for the pass and they stuck with the run, and we really should have been focused on stopping the run,” Garrett said.

Titans: OT Dan Moore suffered a neck injury in the third quarter.

Browns: WR Malachi Corley (concussion) and Njoku (knee) were injured in the second quarter. C Ethan Pocic (Achilles tendon), CB Denzel Ward (calf) and WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) left in the second half.

Titans: At San Francisco next Sunday.

Browns: At Chicago next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs the ball for a touchdown as Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) gives chase in the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) visits with his father Deion Sanders, right, during warmups before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) catches a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) defends in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) sprints to the end zone after catching a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) gives chase in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)