The biggest question facing every NLDS team

Can anyone stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from a World Series three-peat? We will get our first possible answer to that question in the National League Division Series.

While the Dodgers may grab most of the headlines, it's also our first chance to see the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in action this postseason. No team won more than the Brewers this season, and their 103 regular-season wins gives them home-field advantage all the way through the Fall Classic ... if they make it that far.

So what questions loom in the Division Series round for the four remaining NL teams? Let's take a look.

Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

For Atlanta, can Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle carry the rotation?

Mahle is arguably one of the best trade deadline acquisitions for any team. He posted a 1.99 ERA in 54.1 innings over nine starts after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants and kept that momentum going in the wild-card round with one run and six hits allowed over 7.0 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pair that with the veteran Sale (who finished off the decisive win over the Phillies) and it gives the Braves two starters who can handcuff opposing batters. Can they do that against a Dodgers lineup that should be at full strength and helped Los Angeles take a 5-1 series win over the Braves in the regular season? 

For Los Angeles, is Kyle Tucker really back?

Tucker was the big offensive addition for the Dodgers this offseason, but the move looked like the wrong one for the majority of the campaign. However, in September, Tucker started to look like a true threat again, slashing .262/.354/.536 with six homers. All of those numbers were high points for any month for Tucker this season, a good sign for the Dodgers heading into the postseason.

San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers

For San Diego, can Jackson Merrill continue to be a postseason beast?

In 47 career postseason at-bats, Merrill is slashing .325/.391/.600 with a pair of homers and nine RBI. Much of that damage can in three wild-card rounds, but in his only NLDS appearance (2024 vs. the Dodgers), he slashed just .176/.300/.353.

Knowing the caliber of pitching that the Brewers will bring into the NLDS, can Merrill continue his hot hitting from the wild-card win over the Chicago Cubs (.571/.625/.571 in eight plate appearances) against the Brewers?

For Milwaukee, will the offense carry over into the NLDS?

The Brewers were second among MLB's 30 teams in runs scored this season. The only team higher than them? The Cubs, who were just swept out of the Wild Card round thanks to Padres pitching that held them to just one combined run in the two losses.

Milwaukee dropped out of the postseason last year in the NLCS by scoring just four runs in four games against the Dodgers. The Brewers can't have the offense disappear again this postseason, especially against a red-hot Padres team that is swinging the bat very well.