Milwaukee has waited 44 years to play another World Series game, and after two games the Brewers are only two wins from turning that long wait into the first championship in franchise history. Tampa Bay heads back to Tropicana Field for Game 3 needing a cleaner brand of baseball and a big night from a pitcher who knows the Brewers’ clubhouse as well as anyone.
Game 3 brings the series to Tampa Bay
- The Brewers took the first two games of the World Series to build a 2-0 series lead.
- Game 3 is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, with Milwaukee visiting Tampa Bay.
- Robert Gasser is set to start for the Brewers, while the Rays will hand the ball to Freddy Peralta.
- A Milwaukee win would put the Rays in a 3-0 hole. A Tampa Bay victory would give the home club a chance to reset the series in the building where it posted baseball’s best home record during the regular season.
The game carries a little extra weight for Peralta. He spent the first eight seasons of his career in Milwaukee, made two All-Star teams there and pitched in seven postseason series for the Brewers. Now he takes the mound trying to stop his former club from getting within one win of a title.
Peralta has become Tampa Bay’s October anchor
There has been no steadier pitcher over the last two months than Peralta. Since Aug. 26, he is 7-0 with a 0.89 ERA, a run that earned him American League Pitcher of the Month honors for September and ALCS MVP recognition.
He entered the season as the sort of October ace many expected to see, though the expectation was tied to the Mets rather than the Rays. Tampa Bay needs that version of “Fastball Freddy” now. The Rays are not merely looking for innings Monday; they need Peralta to settle a club that has played uncharacteristically loose baseball through the opening two games.
Milwaukee’s relief corps keeps shutting doors
The Brewers have shown their usual fight at the plate, repeatedly finding a way back into games, but their bullpen has made those comebacks possible. Tampa Bay’s four-run first inning in Game 2 did not level the series because Milwaukee’s relievers prevented the Rays from adding enough damage.
| Brewers bullpen | Postseason performance |
|---|---|
| World Series | 10 innings, 1 run allowed |
| Entire postseason | 1.24 ERA in 50 2/3 innings |
| Aaron Ashby | 0 runs allowed in 15 2/3 postseason innings |
Ashby has been especially hard to dent, to the point that he has entered the World Series MVP conversation despite working out of the bullpen. If the Rays cannot create traffic against Milwaukee’s relievers, they will have a difficult time changing the direction of this series.
The Rays need to look like themselves again
Tampa Bay won its division comfortably in a deep and costly American League East by doing the routine things right: pitching, defense, baserunning and game management. That has not been the club that showed up for the first two games.
Game 2 was particularly ragged. Jonathan Aranda was charged with one error, but the Rays had additional defensive lapses beyond that official mark. They also made poor choices on the bases and failed to play the sharp, connected style that carried them through the season.
Junior Caminero did not try to dress up the problem.
“I can guarantee that nobody in this clubhouse wants to keep playing the way we have the past couple of days,” Caminero said.
Back at the Trop, the Rays have their chance to answer him. But the margin is getting thin. If Peralta cannot slow Milwaukee and Tampa Bay cannot clean up its defense and baserunning Monday night, the Brewers could soon be celebrating in the visitors’ clubhouse with a championship within reach.
