The Rays walked into Game 3 needing a clean response at Tropicana Field. Instead, they got steamrolled.
Milwaukee turned the game into a rout with an eight-run inning that blew the doors off a 10-1 Brewers win and pushed Tampa Bay to the brink of a sweep in the World Series. What had looked like one of the Rays’ biggest advantages - their starting pitching - never materialized, and the rest of the night unraveled fast.
Freddy Peralta, pitching against his former team, had been on a roll entering the matchup, with 10 straight outings of one or fewer runs allowed. That streak didn’t survive this one. He worked 4.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four.
Then came the real collapse. Cam Booser, who had been the Rays’ top relief arm this postseason outside of Bryan Baker, couldn’t get through the inning.
He failed to record an out and was tagged for four hits and four earned runs. Cole Sulser allowed another run in the same frame, turning the inning into the kind of avalanche that ends a game early and empties a ballpark.
Tampa Bay’s offense offered almost nothing to fight back with. Robert Gasser blanked the Rays over six innings, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out three. For most of the night, the bats never found a pulse.
The lone Tampa Bay run came in the ninth when Yandy Diaz doubled home Cedric Mullins. That was it for the offense, and it also meant Mullins’s hit in the ninth was the only one in the game for Tampa Bay that did not come from Diaz. Diaz finished 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot.
Now the Rays have to answer with their season hanging by a thread. They trail 3-0, and only one team has ever come back from that kind of hole: the Boston Red Sox in 2004 against the New York Yankees.
The Brewers, meanwhile, are one win from a sweep that would be the 22nd in MLB history. Tampa Bay entered the series with a reputation for grit, but after a 10-1 beating in Game 3, the question is how much fight is left for Game 4.
In Other News...
Trevor Megill Just Added New Tension To Brewers World Series Lead
The unusual setting at Tropicana Field has become part of the backdrop of this World Series, and not just for the Rays. Ahead of Game 3, Brewers reliever Trevor Megill took aim at the stadiums white roof during batting practice, saying the look of it makes the baseball tough to follow. For Milwaukee, which arrives with a 2-0 series lead, it was the kind of throwaway observation that can still stir up a little extra noise around a postseason stage already full of pressure.
Megill has been one of the Brewers key arms this October, so even a passing complaint from him carried some weight. The comments quickly drew attention and put another spotlight on a building that has never lacked for quirks, especially in big games. With the series shifting and the environment now part of the conversation, Tampa Bay is left to deal with the baseball side of the matchup and the distractions that come with it. [Read more 🡒]
Rays World Series Return Turned Into A Brutal Reality Check
The Rays World Series return quickly turned into a long night in Game 3, with Milwaukee rolling to a 10-1 win and taking control with relentless pitching and a sudden surge at the plate. Tampa Bay never found much rhythm against the Brewers, who at one point retired 14 straight hitters and made the game feel out of reach before the middle innings even settled in.
Milwaukees starter Peralta never made it deep into the game, but the Brewers hardly needed much from him after the offense exploded in the fifth. Gasser took over the rest of the way and gave the Rays no openings, finishing with six shutout innings to keep the pressure squarely on Tampa Bay as the series continued. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Stadium Push Faces A Crucial Vote Fans Can't Ignore
The next step in the Rays push for a Tampa stadium is headed to a city hall meeting this week, where the Tampa City Council is scheduled to vote on a community benefits agreement tied to the teams commitments. The proposal is part of the broader stadium process and is expected to outline how the club would support local initiatives as the project moves forward, with details set to be presented at the meeting.
The timing makes the vote especially important, because the councils makeup is about to change and that could alter how future stadium-related decisions play out. For supporters watching the ballpark effort closely, this is one of those moments that can shape the tone of what comes next, even before the full picture of the agreement is laid out in public. [Read more 🡒]