The Milwaukee Brewers opened their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a decisive 9-1 victory on Monday night at American Family Field, as Freddy Peralta delivered a standout performance on the mound and newly acquired Andrew Vaughn made an immediate impact with a three-run home run in his first at-bat for the club.
Peralta, now 10-4 on the season, worked six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out seven. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.74 as he continues to anchor Milwaukee’s rotation through the summer stretch. The Brewers’ offense backed him with early and consistent run support, building a seven-run lead by the fifth inning and capping the night with a two-run homer from Christian Yelich in the seventh.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ starter and a fellow 2025 National League All-Star, lasted just two-thirds of an inning in what became the shortest outing of his Major League career. Yamamoto, who fell to 8-7 on the year, gave up five runs—three earned—on four hits and one walk. His early exit came after Vaughn crushed a 409-foot three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the first. Vaughn had been recalled from the minors earlier in the day after the Brewers placed first baseman Rhys Hoskins on the injured list. Acquired last month in a deal with the Chicago White Sox, Vaughn became the fifth player in Brewers history to homer in his first plate appearance with the team.
The Brewers took advantage of a first-inning defensive miscue to widen the gap. With Milwaukee already up 3-0 and two outs, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts fielded a ground ball but threw low to first base, allowing Isaac Collins to score from second. Andruw Monasterio added an RBI moments later to knock Yamamoto out of the game and make it a five-run frame.
Milwaukee padded its lead in the fifth inning when Brice Turang lined a two-run single off reliever Will Klein. Yelich’s home run off Julian Fernández in the seventh extended the lead to nine. The Dodgers scored their lone run in the eighth on Esteury Ruiz’s RBI single with two outs.
The loss was the fourth in a row for Los Angeles, which has been outscored 38-7 during that stretch. The skid follows a strong 15-3 run that had propelled the team to the top of the NL West standings. Monday’s result highlighted recent inconsistencies from a club struggling at the plate and on the mound.
The second game of the series is scheduled for Tuesday. Dodgers veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw, now 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA, is set to make his first appearance since reaching the 3,000-strikeout milestone. The Brewers will counter with rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who enters the start with a 3-1 record and a 3.20 ERA. Early betting odds have the Dodgers as slight favorites at -115, with the Brewers at -105. The over/under for the game is set at 8.0 runs.
