For the first time in 18 years, a World Series game will be played at Tropicana Field on Monday night. The Rays arrive there down two games to none, after a Saturday night in Milwaukee when a four-run lead in the first inning turned into a 5-4 loss.
Game 3 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern in St. Petersburg. Freddy Peralta, who spent eight seasons with the Brewers, starts for Tampa Bay against Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser.
Four runs, then nothing
The Rays did all of their scoring before Brewers rookie Logan Henderson had recorded two outs. Yandy Díaz reached when shortstop Cooper Pratt threw wide of first, Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero each singled in a run, and catcher Liam Hicks followed with a two-run drive to right-center, the first home run of the Series.
Tampa Bay managed four more hits over the final eight innings and never scored again. After Henderson left following the third, five Milwaukee relievers (JoJo Romero, Dustin May, DL Hall, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby) pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six, according to the MLB box score.
Uribe got the win with 1 1/3 hitless innings, and Ashby closed out a five-out save when Díaz went around on a check swing for strike three in the ninth, leaving Jonny DeLuca at third after his leadoff double.
Drew Rasmussen, whom the Rays started on extra rest against the organization that drafted him, lasted 3 2/3 innings and 89 pitches, giving up three runs. MLB.com noted he had worked into the seventh in all three of his previous starts this month.
How the lead got away
The Associated Press tallied a string of Rays mistakes. First baseman Jonathan Aranda let a foul pop by William Contreras bounce out of his glove in the first inning, and Contreras followed with an RBI single; Garrett Mitchell's two-out single made it 4-2.
Aranda's fielding error on a David Hamilton grounder in the fourth brought in another run, Simpson dropped a fly ball in left, and left fielder Jackson Chourio cut down Hicks trying to score.
Sal Frelick tied the game with a leadoff homer off Ian Seymour in the sixth, his first home run since July 11, per the AP. Brice Turang opened the bottom of the seventh with a double against Tyler Wells and came home when Pratt dropped a single into short right field against Kevin Kelly.
"We got beaten in all phases of the game," DeLuca told reporters, before turning to the trip home. "We love playing at the Trop. It's a unique place."
Peralta against his old team
Peralta was a two-time All-Star in Milwaukee from 2018 through 2025. The Brewers traded him to the New York Mets in January, and the Mets sent him to Tampa Bay on Aug. 2, according to MLB transaction records. He was named MVP of the American League Championship Series and has a 1.08 ERA over 16 2/3 postseason innings.
