MILWAUKEE — No respect. No respect, I tell ya.

The Milwaukee Brewers won 97 games during the regular season, more than any team in baseball – including 22 teams with higher payrolls than the small-market Brewers’ approximate investment of $115 million in 2025.

And yet, they are being cast as underdogs in the National League Championship Series, which begins Monday night, cheese-loving midwestern Davids to the Dodgers’ $400 million Goliaths.

“I think that’s kind of been the narrative all year long. So it’s not really anything new,” Brewers rookie third baseman Caleb Durbin said Sunday. “Since Opening Day, that’s been kind of the idea.”

Brewers manager Pat Murphy offered an “aw shucks,” “gee whiz” flavored take on the team loaded with superstars in this matchup – not his.

“The Dodgers are a powerhouse, what can you say? You don’t see many commercials in the United States, Canada, Japan, anywhere across the world, you don’t have Dodgers in it because they have the star power, and they’re great players,” Murphy said before going on to list many of them.

“Freddie Freeman is like my favorite person, player in the game. He’s ruined Brewers history many times, but I still love him. I think he’s a terrific player and even more terrific person.

“(Shohei) Ohtani – one of the all-time greats in – I don’t know how many years he’s played, but he’s one of the all-time greats.

“Mookie Betts, what he’s doing, transitioning back to the infield and playing shortstop on America’s team – like, are you kidding me? And doing it so well. I mean, his performance this year is by far the most underrated. If you’re watching baseball and value to a team, that dude is some kind of special. … Mookie is doing something in our game that’s unprecedented. I love it.

“I respect the whole team. Teoscar (Hernandez), one of the great dudes in the game. And he’s just performing in the clutch. They’ve got great ones. The (Miguel) Rojas kid has killed us. If he hits against us, he gets a hit. He’s been unbelievable. So I respect the heck out of them. I really do.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did his best to match Murphy’s admiration.

“They’re just gritty. They’re tough. And they take on Murph’s personality,” said Roberts, who was on Murphy’s coaching staff when Murphy was elevated to interim manager of the San Diego Padres in 2015. “They’ve got some guys that can slug. They’ve got some athleticism. They really defend well. They can pitch well. So it’s like they’re going to be in every game. They’ve got complete buy-in, and so they’re hungry. Those things are components that are scary.

“So anything Murph speaks to, in the Lou Holtz vein, we’re not buying, because that’s a very good ballclub.”

Game 1 starter Blake Snell definitely isn’t.

“I’m not falling for the ‘Average Joes’ (characterization) – they’re not,” Snell said.

These ‘Average Joes” led the National League in batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Only four teams in MLB struck out fewer times during the regular season. Only one team in the NL scored more runs (the Dodgers) than the Brewers managed with their fundamental approach.

And their pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the NL. Those elements make for quite a slingshot.

“They’re aggressive. They’re going to run. They bunt. They do the little things. They don’t strike out much. They put the ball in play,” Dodgers veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said. “It’s not a secret. You’ve got to be ready for every pitch, every out, every opportunity.

“We all understand what kind of team they have over there. And they play out of the energy of the game, kind of the momentum. They channel that, and they have pretty good pitching in the back end of the bullpen.”

The Dodgers know all of that from first-hand experience. They were swept in the season series by the Brewers, all six games played in a two-week span of July before and immediately after the All-Star break.

That was a different Dodgers team than the one that arrived at American Family Field for Sunday’s workout.

Third baseman Max Muncy and utility man Kiké Hernandez were on the injured list. Betts and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez were slumping. Tyler Glasnow started two of the six games – his first two back after 2½ months on the IL. Ohtani didn’t pitch in either series.

Now, the Dodgers have won 20 of their past 26 games, including five of six in the postseason.

“The difference is that our guys are healthy,” Rojas said. “And everybody knows our pitching staff has been carrying us for the last two months of the year. And they’ve been throwing the ball really well, the starting pitching.

“I remember when we came here, we didn’t have Kiké, we didn’t have Blake, we didn’t have a couple of the guys. And we were playing a little short on the bench and the back end of the bullpen and the starting pitching.

“And I feel like right now we’re in a really good place to kind of go head to head with the best of the National League.”

Originally Published: October 12, 2025 at 8:17 PM PDT