Brewers One Win From First World Series Title as Griffin Jax and the Rays Fight for Their Lives in Game 4
The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the first World Series title in franchise history. Milwaukee leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 after a 10-1 rout in Game 3, and the Tampa Bay Rays now face elimination at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.
Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, at 8:00 p.m. ET, broadcast nationally on FOX. The Brewers are road favorites, and no team has ever erased a 0-3 deficit in the Fall Classic.
How the Brewers got here
Milwaukee won the first two games at American Family Field by one run each, a 3-2 opener followed by a 5-4 comeback win in Game 2. Then the Brewers broke Game 3 open on Monday night with eight runs in the fifth inning, all of them with two outs.
Robert Gasser threw six shutout innings, and Tampa Bay did not score until the ninth. Across three games, the Rays have scored seven runs.
The Brewers went 103-59 in the regular season, the best record in baseball, and are 9-1 in the postseason. The Rays went 98-64 and are 7-4 in the playoffs.
Griffin Jax gets the ball for Tampa Bay
Griffin Jax gets the start for the Rays in a must-win spot. He went 8-10 with a 3.53 ERA in the regular season. His postseason has been rockier, with a 6.00 ERA across two appearances, including three runs over four innings in ALCS Game 3 at Cleveland.
Rays manager Kevin Cash will not hesitate to turn to his bullpen early if necessary. Behind Jax, Nick Martinez should be available and closer Bryan Baker, who has not pitched in the series so far, is expected to play a big role.
Milwaukee's pitching plan is a mystery
Milwaukee has not announced a starter. Manager Pat Murphy is expected to use a bullpen game, with Shane Drohan, Dustin May and Kyle Harrison mentioned as options. Brandon Woodruff, once lined up for a Game 4 role, pitched the ninth inning of Game 3 instead.
The upside for the Brewers is a fully rested bullpen, with Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill all available.
Much like in the NLCS, the Brewers could go with a bullpen game while holding a 3-0 series lead. Drohan started that one, with May throwing three innings behind the opener.
The players to watch
Jackson Chourio leads the Brewers with nine RBIs in 11 postseason games and has driven in a run in two of the three World Series games. William Contreras is batting .417 in the playoffs and has 28 total bases in 11 postseason games.
For Tampa Bay, Yandy Diaz hit .293 with 22 home runs and 85 RBIs in the regular season. Richie Palacios is 10 for 33 with four doubles over the last 10 games.
History is against the Rays
The Rays will try to stave off the first World Series sweep since 2012, when the San Francisco Giants finished off the Detroit Tigers. Tampa Bay has a 55-26 record at home this season, but the Brewers have gone 48-33 on the road and have the best team batting average in MLB at .259.
The teams meet Tuesday for the seventh time this season. The Brewers lead the season series 5-1.
If Milwaukee wins, the celebration starts in St. Petersburg. If Tampa Bay survives, the series continues with Game 5 on Wednesday night — and the Rays will have bought themselves one more day.