theathleticuk
Finding a route for the Tampa Bay Rays to capture the World Series feels akin to locating an exit while trapped in a five-mile traffic jam on an L.A. freeway. Yet, the Rays' 4-3 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers in 12 innings on Tuesday night ensures at least one more day of baseball before the offseason—and eventually, a lockout of uncertain duration—begins.
Milwaukee holds a three-games-to-one advantage in the series, setting up a Game 5 matchup between Jacob Misiorowski and Tampa Bay's entire pitching staff—or what remains of it. On paper, the pitching matchup appears lopsided, but the Rays might finally catch a break from Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby, who extended his scoreless streak to 18 innings in Game 4, the most by a reliever to begin a postseason.
Ashby delivered 2 1/3 perfect innings, but Brewers manager Pat Murphy pulled him after he struck out Richie Palacios to start the 11th, noting that his velocity had dipped considerably. Murphy wasn't exaggerating: Ashby's fastball fell from 97-99 mph to 95-96 mph during his outing. "I'll be totally fine not seeing Ashby for a couple of days," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "His second inning of work, he threw one in-zone pitch, one in-zone strike in 14 pitches. But it's so deceptive with that high slot, it looks like a strike coming in all the time."
Who do the Rays plan to send to the mound after using seven pitchers in Game 4, including originally scheduled Game 5 starter Nick Martinez for two scoreless innings? Cash began pondering the question around the eighth inning on Tuesday night, asking Martinez and Drew Rasmussen how many pitches each could throw in a potential Game 5. The reply, according to Cash, was, "Whatever the hell you need." Even though Martinez would be pitching on back-to-back days after throwing 33 pitches on three days' rest following his Game 1 start. Even though Rasmussen has undergone three major elbow surgeries and would be pitching on three days' rest after a poor start in Game 2. "I'll be ready to go," Martinez said. "I'll be smoking hot," Rasmussen said, using a more colorful choice of words.
Funny, at the point Cash posed the question to his two pitchers, it seemed almost laughable for him to even account for the possibility of the Rays staving off elimination. But somehow, here we are. In four games, the Rays are batting .195 with a .491 OPS—feeble even by postseason standards. From the fourth to the 11th inning on Tuesday night, they hit just two balls out of the infield against the Brewers bullpen, which featured appearances not only from Ashby but also from the team's other top relievers, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill. It seemed like the Rays might never get a hit against them. "We weren't going to!" Cash said, laughing.
Actually, the Rays did manage one hit off Uribe, but entering the 12th, they had scored just three runs in their last 28 innings. And after Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt hit a dramatic go-ahead homer leading off the top half, a Rays comeback seemed most improbable, even with their 3-4-5 hitters scheduled to hit. Then, finally, came an opening. A throwing error by Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz allowed Junior Caminero to reach leading off the inning. The Rays proceeded to ignite against left-hander Shane Drohan, rallying from their 3-2 deficit by using two pinch-runners and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson, who delivered his first-pitch, bases-loaded walkoff single through a five-man infield.
The Brewers, throwing a bullpen game, used eight pitchers. But even though Ashby figures to be down in Game 5, Uribe and Megill should be available, especially Megill. Abner threw only 19 pitches, albeit over two innings, and Megill only five. Unlike the Rays, the Brewers also have a starting pitcher ready to work on normal rest, a starting pitcher who happens to be the hardest thrower in the game. In three postseason starts, Misiorowski has yet to exceed five innings. He remains effective, however, as evidenced by his 2.70 ERA.
Key Analysis
Whatever happens in Game 5, at least the Rays avoided getting swept. They won an American League-best 98 games in the regular season, then defeated the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians to reach the World Series. It would have been unfortunate if their season ended in embarrassment. What did they show Cash in Game 4? A lot. "Kind of what they've shown all year long," the manager said. "I was starting to feel for them because we weren't playing representative of what we've done for 162. Tonight showed a lot of what they're about. Let's see if we can carry some momentum."
No one should count on it, since the Rays are scrambling for pitchers and lacking hot hitters. But with the lockout looming, let's savor one more day of baseball, and possibly even three more. We're going to miss all this.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.