MILWAUKEE — Liam Hicks gave Tampa Bay a four-run lead before the Brewers recorded their second out Saturday night. By the seventh inning, the Rays were behind, and they left American Family Field with a 5–4 loss and a 2–0 World Series deficit.
Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero drove in runs in the first inning before Hicks sent a two-run shot to right-center, the first home run of the series. It was the first time Tampa Bay had scored four runs in a single World Series inning. Milwaukee chipped away against Drew Rasmussen, who left after 3⅔ innings. Sal Frelick tied the game with a homer in the sixth, and rookie Cooper Pratt put the Brewers ahead with an opposite-field single in the seventh.
The previous night, Nick Martinez held Milwaukee to two runs in five innings, but the Rays fell 3–2. They put the tying run at third in the ninth before Trevor Megill struck out Jonny DeLuca. In two games, Tampa Bay lost once after putting the tying run 90 feet away and once after opening with its biggest inning of the series.
The next three games, if needed, are at Tropicana Field. ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta is lined up to start Monday’s Game 3 against his former team.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images. See MLB’s game coverage and the official postseason results.
