MILWAUKEE – While they pursue the goal of a National League pennant, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers share much in common.

Both are among the most analytical clubs, led by young dynamic executives. The Brewers belong to Mark Attanasio, a Los Angeles resident, and boast of a trio of former All-Stars club members, originally from SoCal.

Neither of the two clubs would likely be part of this NL championship series without a host of commercial acquisitions, with Manny Machado leading the Dodgers' cavalry and Mike Moustakas lending gravers late season gravitas.

The way the two teams will continue this pennant however will vary a lot, in a NLCS which, on paper, would favor the Dodgers, although it is the Brewers who have not lost since September 22nd.

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An overview of the first playoff game between clubs:

To begin

Game 1, Friday – Clayton Kershaw (9-5, 2h73 in regular season) against Gio Gonzalez (10-11, 4.21), 8:09, Miller Park

Game 2, Saturday – Walker Buehler (8-5, 2.62) or Hyun-jin Ryu vs. Wade Miley (5-2, 2.57), 4:09, Miller Park

Game 3, Monday – Buehler or Ryu against Jhoulys Chacin (15-8, 3.50), 7:39 ET, Dodger Stadium

Thu 4, Tuesday – Rich Hill (11-5, 3.66) vs. TBA, 9:09 am ET, Dodger Stadium

5 * game, Wednesday – 05:05, Dodger Stadium

Game 6 *, October 19 – 8:39 ET, Miller Park

Game 7 *, October 20 – 9:09, Miller Park

27 outs

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts proved in the final playoff season how aggressive he can be with a pitching team in the playoffs.

Craig Counsell, his Brewers counterpart, could respond by saying, "You have not seen anything yet."

The Brewers swept the Rockies into the NL Division while getting just 12 2/3 innings of their starting pitchers – much of it by design. Chacin, their de facto ace, has not completed at least six innings since August 31. Lefty Wade Miley was cleared in the fifth round of the LNDS win – but was out before qualifying for the win. And Miley thinks he's on an even shorter leash against a Dodgers squad that will throw a crowd of right-handers on any left-hander.

And now, Counsell has a big surprise: left-handed Gonzalez, who did not start at all in the NHLL and made only five starts after a Washington trade on Aug. 31, will get the ball in the first game.

The dominance of the Dodgers on Atlanta in their NLDS was so complete that Roberts did not have to show many cards: Kershaw threw eight decisive innings and Ryu seven, giving six combined strokes. Given Kershaw's slower speed and stun engagement rates (8.6 in nine innings versus 10.4 in the previous two seasons), it will be interesting to know how long the veteran will be allowed to stay if the Brewers offer superior resistance in Atlanta.

Buehler graciously won the title of "Ace" of Kershaw and gained notoriety for both his dominant performances and his casual mentality. A decisive match against Ronald Acuna Jr. in the third game of the LNDS, earned him a reversal, but could be a more instructive performance moment than a referendum on the playoff preparations of the 21-year-old .

Keep an eye on….

Josh Hader. The Brewers' left-hander, left-handed – he pulled out 143 goals in 81 1/3 of the regular season – was perfect in the division series, dropping the seven batters against which he faced. The format of the NLCS, however, could prove to be a challenge for the manager Craig Counsell in his use of Hader. Counsell preferred to deploy it for multi-run stays during the season, then give him a day off; he only launched five consecutive times. In the NLDS, he scored one in match 2 the day after the kick off a round and 1/3 in match 1. But matches 3 to 5 take place on consecutive days, this which could force Hader to take a shorter turn.

And the Dodgers line-up, favorable to the platoons, poses another problem. While Hader kept the right-handed hitters at an average of .153 – just a little less than the 0.090 mark he had scored against the left-handed hitters – eight of his nine abandoned homers were defenders. Do not forget that Chris Taylor, David Freese, Matt Kemp and Enrique Hernandez watch – in training or on the bench – as the game progresses.

Near and late

The Brewers' heavy reliance on Hader, Jeremy Jeffress and Corey Knebel is well documented. The last minute work of the Dodgers has been less known.

In September, they only followed the Brewers, while Kenley Jansen, closer, returned from a fight with an irregular heartbeat and restored order in the final innings. Kenta Maeda is now well prepared for the role of man preparer of the playoffs; The resurgence of Pedro Baez – who has absorbed 2 1/3 of strikes without relief in the NLDS – greatly lengthens the body and gives Roberts the luxury of matching left-handed Scott Alexander and Caleb Ferguson as he pleases. Although Jansen did not regain his dominant form, he at least played as an excellent player in the ninth inning, posting a WHP of 1.03 on his last 14 appearances in the regular season.

At the end

After scoring a decisive goal in the first game of the LNDS, Christian Yelich, the NL's MVP, was calm afterwards – only because the Rockies have accompanied him six times in 14 selections. The Dodgers, meanwhile, maintained their aerial attack on Atlanta, scoring eight home runs after beating a high NL score at 235. The Brewers were second at 218 and came just behind the Dodgers. There will be few secrets or mistakes on the sidelines of this series. Expect the Dodgers to throw a little better – and hit a few more balls – to repeat themselves as the NL champions.