The Dodgers spent their deadline turning an already loaded staff into something absurd, adding Tarik Skubal to a rotation that already had Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. None of that matters tonight since Skubal isn't walking to the mound in this one, but it's the backdrop for why the Dodgers still feel like the operation to beat even after dropping the series opener.
Milwaukee's been a little uneven getting here. The Brewers went 0-3 in San Diego just before this trip, including an 11-run beatdown, and their once-comfortable NL Central lead over the Cubs has shrunk to just a few games. But they answered by beating the Dodgers to open this series, and a club that still owns the best record in the National League doesn't need much to feel good about itself again.
The health situations cut in opposite directions. Milwaukee's already missing shortstop Cooper Pratt and now has Brice Turang, its everyday second baseman, day-to-day with knee soreness — that's two infield spots getting patched together. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are still waiting on Will Smith behind the plate and a handful of arms rehabbing their way back, but their MVP-and-Cy-Young collection at the top of the roster covers for a lot. This is the second game of a four-game set both teams would love to walk away from as the statement in a potential October preview.