Brewers snap Dodgers series unbeaten streak, pull within 2 games of Cubs in NL Central

The Milwaukee Brewers are fighting for a playoff berth in the National League, and this weekend, they got a boost by accomplishing something no team has been able to do in nearly three months.

Milwaukee won two out of three games at Dodger Stadium, the first team to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series since the Washington Nationals from June 5-7.

Sunday’s 3-2 win by Milwaukee was fueled by a two-run third inning that featured a home run by Hernan Perez and a double by Travis Shaw. That backed a strong outing by Jimmy Nelson, who struck out six and allowed two runs in 6⅔ innings for the win.

Did I say Perez? I meant Pan Blanco, his nickname for players’ weekend.

With the victory, Milwaukee pulled to within two games of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. The Brewers are fighting a two-front playoff war, also 3½ games back of the Colorado Rockies for the second wild card spot in the National League.

Entering Sunday, the Brewers were projected to have a 20 percent chance of making the postseason by Baseball Prospectus — 9.4 percent to win the division, and 10.5 percent to win a wild card berth.

Nelson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Sunday before the Dodgers rallied for two runs. Milwaukee held the Dodgers to just five runs in the three-game series, and Brewers starting pitchers in 2017 have a 1.23 ERA in six games against the Dodgers. The teams split the six games.

The loss snapped a pair of incredible streaks for the juggernaut Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball at 91-38. Coupled with Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee, the Dodgers suffered consecutive losses for the first time since July 20-21.

The series loss was the first by Los Angeles since the Washington Nationals won two of three at Dodger Stadium from June 5-7. The Dodgers were unbeaten in their previous 22 series — winning 19 series and splitting three — taking 54 of 65 games in between series losses.