Dodgers Face Two-Game Deficit as Brewers Bullpen Makes History in NLCS Game 2 The Milwaukee Brewers took a 2-0 NLCS lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 7-4 win in Game 2, as their bullpen pitched five perfect innings and Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith continued to struggle. The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 in Game 2 of the NLCS on Monday at American Family Field, taking a 2-0 series lead. The Brewers bullpen made history, becoming the first relief corps to ever pitch five perfect innings in a postseason game. The Dodgers managed just three hits in the loss. Their scoring required help from a wild pitch and a throwing error by Brewers starter Logan Henderson. Once Milwaukee turned to its bullpen, relievers retired all 15 batters they faced.Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith StruggleShohei Ohtani and Will Smith struggled again. From the No. 4 and 5 spots in the order, they combined to go 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. Ohtani is now 3-for-20 in the postseason without an extra-base hit. His last home run came on August 18.Since August 19, he is hitting .157 with no home runs and one RBI in 24 games, with 36 strikeouts. Smith is 1-for-23 in the playoffs with one walk and eight strikeouts. Smith also had two regrettable moments behind the plate. In the first and third innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw what should have been called third strikes against Brice Turang.Home plate umpire Chris Segal missed both calls, and Smith elected not to challenge. Turang doubled and scored in the first, then walked and scored in the third. Yamamoto even tapped his head to signal Smith to challenge in the third, but Smith declined. That would have been the second out.Instead, the inning continued, Jake Bauers drew a 12-pitch walk, and Christian Yelich hit a two-run single, chasing Yamamoto. Smith explained, It was kind of early in the game, we kind of had him on the ropes. I figured we could get him out there without risking the challenges. Manager Dave Roberts did not second-guess his catcher.Brewers Bullpen Dominates PostseasonYamamoto described both pitches as too fine a line on the edge of the strike zone to challenge. The Brewers bullpen has been dominant all postseason. After allowing one earned run in 19 innings against the Padres in the NLDS, they have pitched 9.2 scoreless innings in the NLCS. In Game 1, DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings.In Game 2, Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Uribe and Ashby went 15 up, 15 down over five perfect innings. May, traded by the Dodgers 15 months ago, inherited danger in the Dodgers final rally. After Henderson's second error allowed a tying run and left Tommy Edman on second, May retired Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez in order. Freeman's sacrifice fly gave the Dodgers a brief 4-3 lead, but May set the tone for Milwaukee's bullpen dominance.He could be available to start Game 4 at Dodger Stadium. Yamamoto generated only four misses from 33 Brewers swings, a 12 percent whiff rate tied for the second-lowest of his career. That stressed his pitch count and led to an early exit, leaving the Dodgers bullpen to cover 5 1/3 innings and allow four runs. Roberts summed up the loss, saying, They had much better at-bats than we did across the board, top to bottom.Dave Roberts Comments on Bullpen PerformanceAnd then they put the ball in play, created havoc. That is what they do, and we did not do that. He also said of the Brewers bullpen, I know that they have got good arms. But I think they are just finding ways to win pitches better than we are.The series now shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday. The Dodgers, who swept the Brewers in last year's NLCS, are two wins away from elimination. The Brewers have home-field advantage in the series and will look to hold serve on the road. If the Dodgers offense does not wake up, things could get ugly quickly.