MILWAUKEE — The Brewers own the bullpen advantage, but the Dodgers possess the only true ace in this NLCS, and it’s not particularly close.

For all his maddening lack of postseason success, Clayton Kershaw is still Clayton Kershaw and capable of dominating any opponent at any time.

The latest exhibit was Kershaw’s two-hit shutout over eight innings in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Braves. Now he will get first crack against the Brewers in Game 1 of the NLCS on Friday at Miller Park.

In this age of “bullpening” and shorter outings among starters, Kershaw is the throwback who just takes the ball and runs with it.

“I like pitching every fifth day, I like pitching deep into the games,” Kershaw said Thursday before a team workout. “Ideally you would like to finish them. That doesn’t happen very much, but as a starting pitcher, you kind of take pride in innings and being out there.”

Kershaw went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA in 26 starts during the regular season. For a third straight year he pitched fewer than 200 innings, as back problems forced him to the disabled list for more than a month.

If the Dodgers are going to reach the World Series for a second straight year, they will need the Kershaw who was so brilliant against the Braves in his last start and not the imposter who has pitched to a 4.08 ERA in 25 career postseason appearances.

The true ace might eventually go the way of the sacrifice bunt or hit-and-run in baseball — especially in the postseason — as bullpen games become more common, but Kershaw isn’t going anywhere for now.

“I’m kind of a traditionalist when it comes to baseball,” Kershaw said. “But when it comes down to the postseason you just have to win games.

“[The Brewers] obviously had some success in the first series [extending the bullpen], and they have a great bullpen, so there’s no getting around that. It’s not really sustainable for a full season, but definitely makes sense for a postseason.”