ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The World Series is back on Tampa Bay’s side of the bracket, and the Rays arrive at Game 3 in a deep hole after dropping the first two games to the Brewers.
History does not give Tampa Bay much comfort here. No team has ever recovered from an 0-2 deficit in the World Series since the 1996 Yankees pulled off the comeback against the Braves.
The Rays will try to change that trend with Freddy Peralta on the mound in Game 3, a notable assignment against his old club. Peralta spent the first eight years of his career with Milwaukee, and according to Elias, his 162 starts for the Brewers are the third-most by a pitcher before facing that same team in the World Series.
Milwaukee, though, comes in carrying plenty of momentum. The Brewers have won seven in a row in the postseason, a run that includes their NLCS sweep of the Dodgers. If they manage to sweep Tampa Bay as well, they would become the first team since the LCS moved to a best-of-seven format in 1985 to sweep both the LCS and the World Series.
Robert Gasser gets the ball for the Brewers. His rise has been sharp: before this season, he had only seven major league appearances, yet he owns a 1.00 ERA this postseason.
He’ll do it in front of what should be a loud crowd in St. Petersburg, one that is also expected to include a sizable Brewers presence.
The Rays made a few lineup tweaks for Game 3. Ryan Vilade is at first base in place of Jonathan Aranda, who made a costly error in Game 2. Nick Fortes is starting at catcher, and Ben Williamson is at second.
Game 3 is set for Monday, Oct. 26, with first pitch coming just after 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Fox will carry the broadcast, with Joe Davis and John Smoltz on the call. Fans can also stream the game through DIRECTV or Fubo.
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Brewers Let A Title-Clinching Chance Slip Away In Game 4
A title-clinching chance was there for Milwaukee on Sunday night, and for a while it looked like the Brewers might leave Tropicana Field with the championship wrapped up. Instead, a tense Game 4 stretched deep into extra innings, with the Tampa Bay Rays pulling out a 4-3 comeback win in 12 innings to keep the World Series going and trim Milwaukees series lead to 3-1.
The Brewers had put themselves in position to finish the job, only to watch the game turn in the final inning of the night. What had felt like a closing opportunity became a reminder that nothing comes easily in October, and Milwaukee now heads into the next game still up in the series but with the Rays suddenly alive again. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Top Prospect Keeps Turning Up Pressure On Milwaukee's Timeline
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Brewers Rookie Looked Ready To Clinch It Until Everything Unraveled
For a few tense minutes in Game 4 of the World Series, it looked like Cooper Pratt had delivered the kind of breakthrough swing Milwaukee could build around. The rookie came through in the 12th inning with a go-ahead homer that put the Brewers ahead 3-2, a moment that seemed to tilt a back-and-forth game firmly in their direction.
Instead, the finish turned into a collapse that sent the series to a fifth game. A defensive miscue cracked the door open, and the bullpen that had been so steady through the postseason could not close it, with left-hander Shane Drohan taking the loss after Tampa Bay strung together four straight hits. For Milwaukee, it was the kind of ending that lingers - one that left a rookie's big swing buried under a far messier final inning. [Read more 🡒]