There’s a difference between getting outclassed and getting edged out, and the Milwaukee Brewers were the latter in a 2–1 opener that felt more like a coin flip than a coronation. Milwaukee didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment; they looked one big swing short. The staff game-planned well, lanes were mostly clean, and the defense stayed composed. If you’re looking for signals of whether a team can hang in a seven-gamer, you look for those small controllables. The Brewers checked most of those boxes at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And that’s why the loss shouldn’t be framed as a referendum on the series.