Cool Hand Lucroy

This is such the key point. To play aggressive, for the Rays, meant using Booser for one hitter. Three at most. That's one reliever. For one batter. To give your team its best shot. That they didn't even really consider that tells you something about their strategy (there's a parallel here in that, even in the playoffs, the Rays basically refuse to let their hitters challenge until late in the game--they want to keep the challenges for run prevention). I think it's admirable to operate on principle, like the Rays do. I genuinely respect their willingness to stick to their process. I also think (and this is something the Brewers of the last decade have been GREAT at), choosing when to depart from your principles, when to be flexible and not get locked into a philosophy, is the biggest thing that helps smaller-budget teams win baseball games. I also think the "reliever fatigue" narrative is both real and overrated. It's real in Games 4, 5, and 7. But the off days in the playoffs are helpful, and it really doesn't make sense to go from "These guys haven't pitched in over a week!!" to "These guys are now overworked" in the span of 9 innings. It doesn't happen that quickly. Maybe the Rays feel good about trading a WS win for 20 pitches from Megill, 20 from Ashby, and 0 from their top leverage arms. If so, it's a trade everyone's happy with, because the Brewers are fine with it too. I doubt Tampa makes that trade again at any point this series, but, like certain sacrifice bunts, I'll absolutely welcome it if they do.

For all the talk of Mis, let's also not forget Rasmussen is at 193 innings right now. He threw 150 in 2025, and we know his injury history. He's been great. He's tough. He's shown no signs of being fatigued this postseason. But, if the Rays are going to win, he's probably going to have to push 205 innings, and that's a lot.

I think we might well be calling this the Logan Henderson game when all is said and done. I like his stuff vs. the Rays for some reason. He can pitch to contact and has elite BABIP ability. He wants you to put it in play. The Rays want to put it in play. It sure could backfire, and I know they'll test his fielding. But I think he might give us the kind of postseason ace outing we've been wanting and save an inning or two for the top-tier bullpen. Could I also see the Rays jumping all over him? You bet. But with all the talk about Rasmussen, I think the world is underestimating Logan.

This. Mis is gassed. He's still gaming, still PITCHING, still LEARNING. In the World Series! That ability to adjust and continue adjusting and getting outs without your whiffs is impressive. He was a deserving winning pitcher tonight. I'll take another performance like that if it gets back to him, no question.

The Rays and Brewers are going to win with different approaches. We're committed to winning with bullpen at this point. It's going to be a heavy dose of Ashby, Uribe, and Megill, and yeah. Seeing them a lot might help the Rays. It didn't much help the Dodgers and Padres, but they also didn't get to a Game 5. I think what Cash maybe doesn't quite APPRECIATE (because I know the Rays see it and have prepared for it) is how good Hall and Romero have been. And Senzatela is not a slouch, either. Plus, Woodruff is basically unscoutable. Nobody knows what he's going to do, and that makes him impossible to prep for. The Brewers have quality and depth in the pen, and that's why they're going to rely on it. The Rays only have quality at the top, and even that's a little questionable given Baker's velocity dip. So, they don't really have a choice but to scramble a bit. Like @owbcsaid, I'm reading confidence in Cash's overall approach. Is that the RIGHT approach, though? Whew, I don't know. To treat a World Series game as essentially just another game is worthy of admiration and also a little bit stunning. The 7th inning, if played aggressively, would have likely required one high-leverage reliever (Booser) to get one guy out (Bauers). To avoid that so completely suggests a confidence bordering on deep fear of overexposure on your own side. We'll see how it plays, but the Rays are committed to the bit. Their hitters won't challenge, and their top relievers are not going to pitch without tie/lead unless it's close to close out time.

I don't think the issue with the pitch to Ohtani was its location. You want it down more, but, okay, whatever. The bigger problem is it wasn't precisely located AND it was the third cutter in a row, all basically in that general area. Ohtani mashed it. I still think May has 3 shutout in him at some point this World Series. Let's see.

Martinez pitched about as well as he could have and only went 5. If the Rays pen is pitching 4 innings, you're in okay shape as the opponent. Rasmussen and Peralta are going to have much longer leashes, though. That's the big-picture risk to starting Martinez tonight. Rasmussen is the guy you want to really give runway too. It's a little harder to do that down 1-0. Say you're up 1-0 in the fifth, and he walks the first two guys. He's at 63 pitches. You're in a tough spot... I think it's the Brewers job to make Cash pull that trigger, or at least have to think about it. Tomorrow is all about pressure, pressure, pressure, even more than it always is.

Doh! Fumes, man. Fumes. Yes. I think the best play for the Rays there is Booser for Bauers, Yelich, Contreras, obviously hoping it doesn't get that far. I wonder if Cash was asked about this postgame. Hogg was on it in real time over on BSky.

Double. I get that. I think he had a bad game even not counting that. But I also think he froze ever so slightly, and it cost him.

Wow. It's going to take me a while to get to sleep. I still have the Gameday app open to confirm we won. More than that, I confess to following on Gameday during the Rays innings. It being a pitch or two ahead of the Fox feed helped reduce a little anxiety. Thoughts: 1) All three of our Game 1s were eerily similar. We score 3 runs. We hold the opponent to 1 or 2. We breeze through the middle innings after weathering an up and down Mis start, and then hold on for dear life with the aid of a clutch Megill and/or magic. We also struggled to add on in key spots in all 3. Luckily, it didn't hurt us. 2) I'll be curious to see how the team responds to that. In some ways, Game 1 felt like the one we were most likely to lose. Some of that is the layoff. Some of it is the pressure of being at home in such a huge moment. Some of it is just getting your sea legs in uncharted territory. Honestly? I thought both teams adjusted to that pretty well. That was a pretty well-played ball game, even with some uncharacteristic moments on both sides. 3) Chiefly, for us, those belonged to Mitchell. He had an awful game. I thought the fly ball was really bad. It reminded me of Chourio misplaying one against STL (I think?) in CF his rookie year. It was a tough play because of how hard the ball was hit, but it's got to be made. Cost the Brewers a run. 4) Mis is clearly running a little low in the fuel department. He battled through 5 today, and we needed every out. Special props to Uribe tonight for an awesome 4 outs. That was smooth, and then Ashby did his cold MFer thing. 5) I think it was a mistake to bring in Megill to start the ninth. I would've stuck with Ashby with two lefties due up. I know it would've put him down for tomorrow, but you have Megill if it gets to Caminero. It ended up working out, but I still think it was the wrong call and probably Murph's biggest mistake of the night, though I think hitting Sanchez in that spot didn't make much sense either (just lower downside there). I will credit Murph for getting Ortiz in at third in the 9th. He doesn't do that, we're all sweating a Hamilton throw on a tough little grounder. 6) The biggest blunder of the night was on Cash, though. If I'm a Rays fan, I'm livid that he pitched to Chourio in the 7th. You've got Matz in the game. Pratt is on second. There are two outs. Booser has been great for you. Turang is on deck. Your best option there is to walk Jackson and go left-on-left with Turang, probably with Booser. To not even have him warming is borderline criminal. That run cost you the game. 7) I thought Hamilton getting thrown out was understandable. I like the aggressiveness. That spot in AmFam is the triples spot, and I thought it off the bat. The stumble cost him, and it still took a great defensive effort to get him. It doesn't even compare to what Mesa did the inning before. Getting tossed at third there....dumb. There is no reward for running there. Total brain fart. 8) The check swing was close, but I think he went. Thank goodness it didn't cost us. I thought Pratt was off the bag, and it was the right call. That one annoys me A LOT less than tag plays where the runner slides off by a fraction with the tag still applied before getting right back on. It's a tough play. Pratt's trying to turn it, and just didn't quite drag it low enough. 9) Chourio and Contreras, what can you say? Wild Bill was everywhere tonight. Two outs with his arm. 2 hits. Calling a good game and using challenges perfectly. He looks possessed, and we're going to need it. 10) The Rays seemed weirdly unconcerned at times tonight. I'm not sure if I should be troubled by that (because they're so chill) or comforted (because they're "happy to be here" or whatever). All I know is, they weren't going to pitch Baker or Booser, and they started Martinez instead of Rasmussen. There is no such thing as a non-urgent WS game, but they played it about as non-urgently as you could, especially for a team that just had three days off. Again, that might be the right thing to do! We'll see how it goes tomorrow. 11) They said this on the broadcast, but the Rays did K 9 times tonight. They only walked twice. If that continues, it's a good sign for us. When you're the home team in 2-3-2, you can't drop the first two. Then, you're chasing all series. Getting that win, and one never-been-here-before game under our belts, is incredibly valuable. I suspect the Rays will continue to put together good ABs and clean up some of the base running miscues. Our hitters will need to continue to pressure them and deliver the knockout blow. We've gotten better at that as series have gone on. If we can pull one out tomorrow, that's a serious power position, especially with Peralta pushed to Game 3.

I agree with all of this. I would've gone Harrison. But I think it all comes down to Patrick being unable to start. That limits his usage. Every other guy can do both, so that feels like the tie-breaking variable.

I was surprised Patrick was off but not that Woody was on. I wonder if Patrick being basically unable to start really hampered his case. If Woody can even be an opener, that gives him more flexibility.

Yeah, the big thing that jumped out to me was Simpson third. That seems surprising as an outsider. But hard to question either of these teams with time to prepare. I wonder if Bauers second is just based on seeing pitches. If getting to the Rays pen in a goal, putting your guy most likely to put up a long AB in a first inning spot makes sense.

I think how I feel about tomorrow is encapsulated by the fact that, if you offered me a 1-1 split, I wouldn't take it. I want to see this play out. I want to experience every pitch. I also feel we're better and am at peace with whatever the result. If we lose, so be it. Let's just get out there, play our brand of baseball, and enjoy the game this whole fanbase loves.

I had forgotten that this is the same Nick Martinez who pitched for the Reds in 24 and 25. We've seen a lot of him. He's had mixed results. Mostly, it's either quality start or complete blowup. Career ERA of 4.4 vs. Milwaukee. Wild Bill: 5 for 19 with 2 HR Yeli: 4 for 16 with 1 HR Turang: 4 for 16 with 1 HR Mitchell: 4 for 12 Frelick: 4 for 13 with 1 HR Chourio: 2 for 9 with 1 HR Vaughn: 1 for 8 with 1 HR Ortiz: 1 for 9 Sanchez: 3 for 7 with 1 HR Hamilton: 0 for 3 Bauers: 1 for 5 One thing about the pitchers the Rays will throw at us this series is we'll be familiar with their stuff.

I floated the idea of the Brewers doing something like this in the WS open thread. It honestly makes sense to me, and it does put extra pressure on the Brewers. As someone said, you lose Game 1, and now you're looking down the barrel of their two best starters in the next two games. The good news is, I don't think the G2, G3 matchups are lopsided. Gasser-Peralta is two guys both pitching great. Rasmussen-Henderson is their best vs. our second-best. It also decreases the chances Freddy goes out of the bullpen. Honestly, all of these games feel like coin flips to me, maybe the Brewers with small edges, based mostly on the bullpen, adding up to an overall situation in the range of 55-45. I don't think this move is going to make or break anything. It's a play buy a day for guys who have worked hard (two days for Freddy) and maybe throw some pressure on us/disrupt the gameplan. I don't think the psychological part will work. To the extent that Martinez is less likely to go 6 or 7 complete, it also means Tampa might need more outs from their bullpen in Game 1. That's a big drawback to this one. If Martinez pitches great, but only goes 5, that still might be a net win for us in a 6 or 7 game series. Knock on effects happen when the pen has get stretched out of the gate.

Reading this thread is so great. Like, beyond great. I'm a professor, teaching mostly literature and writing classes (I get to teach a class called literature and sport, which is a major thrill). The thing that has kind of defined my life is storytelling. I love novels and film and, maybe most of all, sport. I'm fascinated by how people make meaning from it, how they put it into words. That's the good stuff right there. Baseball, like most things, only has meaning because we give it that power. But, man, can it ever reward you when you surrender to it, even when the reward is only there because of all the difficulties along the way. I cannot wait to watch these games. And I'm excited to see what they reveal about this team and this season, whichever way it happens to go. I know one thing for sure: we'll make it special, even if it's just especially painful. That's what we do, and we'll be back at it next year, changed in some way no matter what.

This is awesome. And what I love most about it is that it sounds like Wild Bill. Who the hell knows what's going to happen??!?! Like the man says, it's baseball. No one ***** knows anything. Well, almost. What I know is baseball is awesome and we have a National League pennant and we're about to watch a World Series in Milwaukee. Vamos, Brewers. Vamos, vamos, vamos.

I have no idea what's going to happen in 48 hours, but here are some random thoughts: 1) We're the favorites in this series, and we've earned that. It doesn't mean much, but we will have the better overall roster, and, if we play our best baseball, it'll take bad luck (or outstanding Tampa defense and sequencing) for us to lose. 2) I fully expect the Rays to win at least 2 games here and to be trailing at some point this series. Championships are almost never won without having to endure some serious sweat. Plus, Tampa is really good. Both of these organizations deserve to be here. It might be full of terror and anxiety, but it'll also be fun. 3) I have a feeling Dustin May is going to throw 3 scoreless for us at some point. It might explode the in-game thread. 4) I also have a hunch we're going to put up a massive crooked number in one of these first innings. It may well be game one. I'm thinking this team comes out the way it did against the Cubs in last year's NLDS. 5) We're going to get to Tampa's bullpen and score on Baker at some point. It might not be for a walk-off or comeback win, but I think he's running low on energy. 6) I have no idea what the outcome will be. I do know that this team will give the fanbase an all-time memory, and I'll be hoping like heck it ends in powder blue and gold confetti.

Since being traded to the Rays, he has a 3.80 FIP. He's done about that in the small sample postseason, posting a 3.76 FIP. Henderson's is 3.32 overall and 3.89 in the playoffs. I'm not saying Freddy isn't looking great. He is! Like a lot of people, I have such a strong positive emotional response to the guy, and, if he wins a World Series, it'll be a genuine consolation, even though it happened against us. Others can feel differently, but I appreciate Peralta that much. He was always an excellent, durable starting pitcher who just never reached the Cy Young levels that some unrealistically expected. What I am saying is that Peralta's not been the unstoppable postseason force that it appears. He and Henderson are really, really close, even when you just throw out everything Freddy did with the Mets and count every single Henderson start. Freddy might dominate us! Henderson could have a massive blow up! My eyes and the numbers, though, tell me I'd rather have our top two guys and that Henderson vs. Peralta is at least a wash and only that if you give Peralta's results the most generous possible interpretation. EDIT: The thing that makes the Rays scary, for me, is their defense. They can make guys like Peralta and Rasmussen look even better than they are. If we lose, I think it'll be because the starters went deep, aided by the Rays giving them bonus outs, and their bullpen held up, benefitted by having to cover fewer innings.

I don't know, man. Let's see about recovery, but that's good enough to be able to pitch an inning in a bridge scenario. For me, it comes down to: Are you actually going to use Harrison in a spot that calls for a lefty? Or is he there strictly as insurance or for emergencies? If it's the latter, give me Woodruff all day. One of the front page articles talked about Romero, Ashby, and Hall having sinkers that don't matchup as well with the Rays from a pitch shape standpoint. I get that. If Harrison is the better matchup, then roster him. But that sort of means you should use him. Personally, I'd go with Woodruff, depending on how his arm bounces back here. Drohan can be the guy you use for those lefty fastball shapes. I'm more comfortable with him in medium- or high-leverage than Harrison, by quite a ways. AND, let's not forget. Woodruff is awesome against lefties! I know he may not be himself. But even this year, lefties struggled against his mix. Bottom line: I just think he's worth the risk if he's throwing 90-92 in simulated settings and can bounce back. You don't lose much in not having Harrison. You might gain an inning or two over the series by having Woodruff, not to mention the emotional lift he might provide.

Henderson's thrown fewer innings. He's got a lower ERA and a lower WHIP. A lot of it comes down to how much people believe Henderson is a guy who can sustainably outpitch his FIP. He's half a run higher there than Rasmussen. Independent of the crazy hypothetical, I think Henderson and Rasmussen is closer than it seems, depending on how much one thinks Henderson has been lucky this year. No doubt Freddy's been pitching better than Henderson lately, but that matchup is a wash if you look at 2026 as a whole, and that's being generous to Peralta. I'd rather our 1-2 than theirs. Even though both are very good.

Alright, let's get spicy. I don't think this is a good idea or something they should do, but for the sake of conversation: Is there any world in which it makes sense to hold Mis for Game 2? Theoretically, Henderson and Rasmussen is pretty close, and you'd be getting Mis vs. Freddy in G2, which is a larger advantage on paper. You'd also be setting Mis up to throw on his full, 5-day rest in Game 6 (rather than a short-for-him four days in Game 5) and maybe let him throw an inning out of the bullpen on his side day in Game 3 or 4. It also really adds pressure to the Rays in Game 1. It's probably too cute by half, but anyway. There's 2+ days until games start. We'll never do it, and we shouldn't do it, but it might not be that weird as a gamesmanship strategy in a crazy "like a fox" sort of way.

Thanks for this! Not much you can tell, but he did get Turang to swing and miss on an elevated fastball. Definitely looked like a simulated game. Sanchez was catching, and Bill was on deck when Turang came up, so they threw the top of the order at him.

It's baseball, it's baseball, it's baseball. I keep thinking about the Badger hoops run in 2014 and 2015. They had that Duke game and then, because of a combination of getting a little tight, Greyson Allen becoming an All-American, and a legitimately tough whistle, it just didn't happen. The good news is: a decade down the line, I don't really look at that team any different. They were awesome. They didn't win, but it doesn't make them any less good or any less fun to follow. I think I felt that way a month after the event, honestly. Winning will feel incredible in the moment. It will take time to adjust if it ends in a loss. But, ultimately, I'll feel the same way about this team with a champion or runner-up next to their name. They're awesome. They're already legends. I hope they take the final step, but it only feels anxious while the outcome is unknown. Once it's official, they'll go down as the greatest Brewers team of all time no matter the result, and that'll be worth celebrating.