Logan Henderson outpitched Tarik Skubal at Dodger Stadium on August 16, tossing seven innings of one-run ball to secure a 6-2 series win for the Milwaukee Brewers. The performance validated Milwaukee’s decision to hold the young right-hander off the trade table during the deadline.
When the Milwaukee Brewers stood pat at the trade deadline and refused to part with Logan Henderson in discussions with the Detroit Tigers for left-handed ace Tarik Skubal, the front office absorbed plenty of skepticism from around the league. Two weeks later, the narrative flipped entirely on the sun-baked turf of Dodger Stadium. Facing the very pitcher the organization protected, the Brewers not only secured a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they clinched the season series 4-3.
Logan Henderson Outduels Tarik Skubal in Career Outing
At just 24 years old, Henderson delivered the finest start of his young career by logging a career-high seven innings while matching up directly against Skubal. The right-hander scattered three hits, allowed just one earned run, walked one, and struck out six batters across 93 pitches. Max Muncy provided the only blemish on Henderson’s ledger with a solo home run in the fourth inning, but the right-hander quickly locked down the Los Angeles lineup thereafter.
The performance kept an astonishing streak alive. Through his first 17 Major League starts, Henderson has yet to permit more than three runs in a single outing. According to Elias data cited by league reporting, only one pitcher since 1893 has opened a career with a longer streak of appearances allowing three or fewer runs without mixing in relief duty: Zac Gallen, who strung together 23 such starts for the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks across the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
He’s just really consistent.
It’s not that he’s not capable of a dud here and there, but he’s just really consistent.
He understands what he’s doing,
Murphy said of his starting pitcher.
Jake Bauers and the Brewers Weather a Brutal 17-Game Stretch
The victory put an exclamation point on a punishing 17-game gauntlet in 17 days for Milwaukee. The stretch began on a sour note with a series sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres—a trip that featured an earlier Henderson start where a 2-1 lead slipped away in the seventh inning. Sensing the team needed to reset, first baseman Jake Bauers delivered a blunt message to his teammates to settle down.
The infielder backed up his words with stellar play at the plate. Bauers went 6-for-13 with five walks over the series in Los Angeles, including a career-high-tying four hits and two RBIs in the Sunday finale. His contributions, alongside an insurance run driven in by Andrew Vaughn in the seventh inning, gave Henderson and a taxed bullpen the cushion they needed.
“Whatever happens in October is whatever happens, but I think the anticipation is we’re going to have to get through these guys. We can play with them, and if we execute, we can beat them.”
Jake Bauers, Brewers first baseman via MLB.com
Milwaukee’s pitching staff collectively neutralized Los Angeles’ heavy hitters throughout the series. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Kyle Tucker combined to go an icy 5-for-50 against Brewers pitching across the series, driving in just two runs while striking out 13 times. Relief pitcher Aaron Ashby slammed the door in the eighth inning of the finale by inducing a double play off Ohtani with the tying run at the plate, preserving Henderson’s line and sealing the win.
Standings Impact and What Lies Ahead for Milwaukee
With the series win secured at Dodger Stadium, the Brewers climbed back to the top of the Major League standings with a 77-48 record. Milwaukee enters its scheduled day off holding a comfortable five-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, while sitting 2 1/2 games clear of the Atlanta Braves for the top spot in the broader NL table.
The team earned the upcoming rest after surviving a grueling run of games that tested the limits of a six-man starting rotation. As Henderson looks to build on his lengthening leash and deeper stamina—having successfully pushed past six frames for the first time in his professional career—the decision to keep him in Milwaukee rather than shipping him off for a rental ace looks less like a missed opportunity and more like a franchise-altering coup.
