NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 10, 2026

Matt Arnold

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Having the first Dodgers-Brewers NLCS just a couple of years after you came in, how have things changed for you and your team when you think about the expectations every year, just your feeling going into a Game 1 tomorrow? I wonder if you could just think back to that time earlier and how things have changed.

MATT ARNOLD: I think you're right. I think the point about our expectations have shifted, certainly from the first time we played them. I think like this team has come a long way from where we were there and where we are currently. I think that we're shaped differently. I think that the talent level is different. I think the "win tonight" mentality that Murph always talks about is different.

I just think that we've tightened things up in a way here, in a good way hopefully, that has us more well prepared than ever before.

Q. With how dominant the bullpen was against the Padres, giving up just the one run across, what kind of flexibility does that provide you and the front office as you work to construct what this rotation is going to look like in this series?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, those guys were fantastic. Credit to all those guys in the bullpen that stepped up, and they've been doing it all year. Those guys, Charlie Greene has them ready to go the second the phone rings. Unbelievable work by that entire group.

It gives you a ton of flexibility to deploy guys in different ways throughout the game, throughout the series. It takes a little bit of pressure off the starters, if they need that, and for Murph to know that that's there.

Yeah, it's great to have those kind of weapons down there. They're all diverse. They get you out in different ways. I feel really good about that group right now.

Q. With Mis and with Logan Henderson, to have those two guys lined up for this series and just what that means for the organization to have those guys drafted and developed and now lined up for a Championship Series against the Dodgers?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, a really cool story to think about it, when you think back to where they came from and the kind of guys that they are. A credit to the scouts that were there at the start, the coaches that have been a part of their journey. Fortunate that we didn't have to use them there in the Padres series at the end, and to have them stacked for the start of the series is something we're excited to have for sure.

Q. You talked about the first time you saw this team, but what did you learn from last year? Obviously it wasn't the result you wanted, getting swept, but what were you able to learn from that series, and how do you think it will help you this time around?

MATT ARNOLD: Certainly the series prior to playing the Dodgers last year took a lot out of us. I think Murph has talked about that a lot. Same thing with the Padres. That's just part of it. So we're going to have to be resilient here.

I think this group is another level advanced from that. They've been through a lot. You've seen guys continue to emerge, guys like Mis, guys like Chourio, and all the players around them, they're just more experienced, and I think they'll be ready for it.

Q. Can you speak to how things have evolved with your position player group, thinking back to a few years ago with the jumbo infield to the group you have now with so many athletes and emphasis on contact hitting and maybe less of an emphasis on scoring via the home run than there used to be?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, our offense has taken on a lot of shapes. A couple years ago, like you said a few years ago, it was that jumbo infield. We had the little guy infield as well. We have some prospects coming too, so it could change the size around the infield certainly.

These guys are good baseball players. Regardless of the size, they play the game the right way. Murph emphasizes that every single day, starting in Spring Training and, frankly, way before that. So regardless of the package you're getting, you're going to get hopefully a high-level and high-caliber player.

Q. If someone is tuning in to watch baseball for the first time this year and seeing the Dodgers versus the Brewers, what are they going to see in this series?

MATT ARNOLD: I'm not sure why they're tuning in just now. Should have been on the train a little earlier. We'll talk about that later.

Look, I think we have a fantastic product. I think this is just an energy-filled group that plays really, really hard. It's a fun brand of baseball to watch. They compete. Murph sets that tone by having pulled guys throughout the season if they're not playing up to those standards.

I think if you're tuning in now, you're going to see a high-quality team from our side and from theirs. They are exceptionally talented over there. We know that. We face them a lot, and I think we'll be ready for it.

Q. We've heard it from the guys in the clubhouse over the last month or so of how they feel that this team, there's a different sense to it, however you want to describe that. I'm curious if you feel that way at all heading into a series against the Dodgers as well, if there's anything different about this team.

MATT ARNOLD: I think every team is a little bit different, constructed differently, built differently. I do think it's different in a good way. I think there's a ton of confidence.

Again, we've been in this position a number of times, and we've left disappointed. Not disappointed with the body of the work, but the way we finished, and I think that this group has learned from those opportunities. I think we're excited about what we have ahead of us.

Q. Going back to the bullpen for a second, one thing that stands out is the different looks that opposing lineups get, you go from a high-slot lefty in Ashby to a low-slot righty in Uribe and then a high-slot righty in Megill. How much of a focal point is that for you when constructing a bullpen, getting those different looks? How difficult does it make it for an opposing lineup?

MATT ARNOLD: I would say it's a factor. You want the best guys out there, and they come in different forms. If you're seeing a different look, it's probably unique for the opposing hitter. That's part of it. But talent over all those things, all things equal, but it's definitely nice to have the diverse arm slots, like you said.

Q. At the trade deadline when you were looking at options and Tarik Skubal was out there, of all the factors there -- there's a lot of them -- where was trying to avoid exactly the scenario you're going to see tomorrow knowing the Dodgers were a really good team you might see in the postseason?

MATT ARNOLD: Any time you're going after guys, there are probably other good teams also going after them. Probably not going to get into a ton of specifics around what that looked like, but yeah, like the guy throwing against us tomorrow is really talented, and we faced him before, and we're going to have to be ready for it.

Every team was looking to acquire good players at the deadline, and ultimately they landed a really good one there in Tarik Skubal.

Q. When you look at last year going into the NLCS offensively versus this year, what are you seeing from the at-bats or the qualities or certain players that gives you a different belief from last year's offense to this year's offense?

MATT ARNOLD: I would say that this group has just continued to build on that. I would say like they did a nice job last year. I think the run creation this year has continued to improve. You see guys up and down our lineup. I have one that comes to mind is Jake Bauers, just the way he's continued to emerge, Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich recently has been swinging the bat great, Garrett Mitchell.

Again, you kind of look at what these guys have done relative to a year ago, and I think a lot of them have progressed really positively.

Q. I remember seeing Garrett Mitchell last year in the dugout in L.A. What do you think he learned from that experience? He really couldn't play, but he was there to soak it up. Then can you go into maybe a little bit of depth on just a guy like that has a ton of talent but he needed to wait on the injury and stuff like that. What caused you to say we need to take another look at this guy?

MATT ARNOLD: I think we've liked him since we took him in the first round from day one. He's had some unfortunate luck with his health, but the fact he's been able to go out there every day has been tremendous.

Then, like you said, even though he was not in the lineup necessarily last year or every day, learning a lot from being around the coaches, being around the environment. Then when you put him in there, to see what he did at the end of the Padres series just speaks volumes to who he is.

Q. I want to ask about two guys who you traded for back in '23, Megill and also Bauers. What did you see in both of those guys that made you think they were worth bringing in and taking a look at, and how have they evolved?

MATT ARNOLD: Both very different acquisitions, but I would say on Megill, certainly talented, a distressed asset at the moment. I think he'd been DFA'd. It was one of those things we saw a guy with a big arm that was worth taking a shot on, and he's been fantastic since we got him. Again, credit to him doing the work.

Then Jake, had some history with him, trading for him when he was with Tampa Bay as part of Andrew Friedman connection there, but had some history with Jake there as well and knew who he was as a guy. Then there were some ingredients that we liked.

For him, again, to take those next steps putting in the work -- he was talented already, but he's put in real work and gotten strong and physical, and he's done a tremendous job and really can't be thrilled more for both those guys and their success.

Q. I'm not going to ask you to speak on any of the collective bargaining issues. I know you've got a series in front of you. But the premise of what the league is saying is small market teams cannot consistently compete unless we change X, Y, or Z. Given that this is the smallest market in baseball, how offended are you by that premise?

MATT ARNOLD: Nobody here is worried about that right now. We're focused on trying to win, and I think we have for a while. Regardless of what the economics look like, the guys in there believe, and so do I.

Q. Do you feel the last several years have been a failure because you haven't won the World Series?

MATT ARNOLD: I wouldn't consider it a failure. I would consider it an opportunity to go win it this year.

Q. When you get to the NLCS and it expands from five games to a seven-game series, how does that influence the way that you guys plan out matchups and roles and just the way that you might utilize guys on this roster?

MATT ARNOLD: Definitely different in a longer series. We had a number of guys who didn't pitch last series. We want to make sure we're covered.

I remember a game with Junior Guerra not that long ago pitching in L.A. in the 14th inning and being on fumes. You don't want to be in those types of spots. So we've been in that exact spot against the Dodgers, and I think we're ready for it.

Q. Every time Jacob pitches people tune in to watch. They always want to see what his velocity readings are going to look like. Earlier this season it seemed it was particularly a phenomenon. Did that worry you at all in terms of you didn't want him to get caught up in that and pitch to that reputation? Did you have to make any adaptations to make sure he was going to be at his best for this time of year?

MATT ARNOLD: I would say with Jacob in general, just making sure he's the best version of himself is what we're focused on. He has continued to learn how to pitch in a way that he is consistent with other young pitchers.

I think all of these guys when they first get here, or sooner, they're more throwers. He has evolved in a way where he really does know how to pitch. He's filling up the zone, and he already has the stuff. And to be able to maintain that for us this year is a big reason why he should win the Cy Young award.

Q. With Jackson obviously had a few moments in that postseason series against the Padres. What is your -- like how much do you enjoy seeing him and the confidence he has coming up in those big moments, and just how enjoyable is that from your seat to watch those moments?

MATT ARNOLD: It's the best. I can't articulate how great it is. It's such a cool thing for such a great kid that I've known for a really long time, and our organization has known a really long time. To see him thrive in those moments and deliver in those moments, I think are really special, and I hope there's more to come.