Relentless Crew Takes 2-0 Lead: 4 Takeaways From Brewers’ World Series Game 2 Win

American Family Field (MILWAUKEE) – The Rays jumped out to an early four-run lead on Saturday night. In other words, the Brewers had them right where they wanted them. The comeback kids were at it again, scratching and clawing and slowly chipping away at a 4-0 lead for the second time in their last three games this postseason before ultimately prevailing in Game 2 of the World Series. It’s the seventh time this postseason that the Brewers, who have a winning record when their opponent scores first this year, have won a game in which they trailed. With the help of their pristine bullpen, the Brewers protected their home field as the series now shifts to Tampa Bay. Here are my takeaways from the Brewers’ 5-4 win: Logan Henderson got what he wanted against the first batter of the game, a seemingly harmless grounder hit slowly to shortstop. Only rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt’s throw to first base was off target, short-hopping Jake Bauers, going out of play and allowing Yandy Díaz to start the game in scoring position. Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie, committed just five errors over 74 regular-season games. He now has four in just 10 playoff games. And this one was costly. Four batters later, the Rays led 4-0 after RBI singles from Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero and a two-run blast from Liam Hicks, whose home run was the first for either team this series. Henderson needed 35 pitches to escape the first inning and ultimately lasted just three innings. He had never allowed more than three runs in a start until Game 2 of the NLCS; he has now done it in back-to-back outings, both of which were marred by defensive miscues. Luckily for Henderson, a 4-0 deficit is nothing for his offense. And luckily for Pratt, he would have time to make amends. In the seventh inning, his RBI single put the Brewers ahead for the first time. One series after becoming the first team ever to sweep a best-of-seven series in which they trailed in all four games, the comeback kids are back at it again. The Brewers had just come off a series in which they beat the reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, the reigning World Series MVP and another two-time Cy Young Award winner in consecutive games. Suffice to say, even the best starter of these playoffs would not scare them. Drew Rasmussen had pitched at least six innings in each of his first three starts of the postseason, starting with a gem against the Yankees in which he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and struck out 10 in eight scoreless innings. In the World Series, the Rays elected to give Rasmussen an extra day of rest, holding him for Game 2 in an effort to make sure he was as sharp as possible and could give them length. It didn’t matter; no one is immune from this Brewers attack. Before the series began, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy was asked for one word to describe his team: “Relentless,” he responded. On Saturday, they continued to show why in the sequel to their NLCS clincher. In Game 4 of their previous series against the Dodgers, the Brewers went down 4-0 early after a Shohei Ohtani slump-busting home run. By the fifth inning, they had erased that deficit. By the sixth, they took the lead. In Game 2 of the World Series, the Brewers again trailed 4-0 early. Again, they quickly started chipping away. By the sixth, the game was tied. They began the bottom of the first inning Saturday with back-to-back singles. Six batters into the inning, they had already cut the deficit in half on RBI singles from William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell. Rasmussen started to settle in from there, but his pitch count had swelled. And the Brewers kept putting on pressure. In the fourth, a walk, a single and an error on a grounder to first baseman Jonathan Aranda scored a run. Two batters later, Rasmussen walked Bauers to load the bases and end his night. Lefty Cam Booser entered and got Christian Yelich to ground out to hold the lead, but it was certainly not how the Rays envisioned this start for Rasmussen to go. It was the former Brewers pitcher’s shortest outing since July 9, 16 starts ago. And by the sixth, the Brewers’ deficit was gone. Same story, different day. The Brewers were last in the National League in home runs, but you wouldn’t know it from watching these playoffs. Despite being known for their contact, speed and ability to work counts, they launched six more homers than the Dodgers in the NLCS and have hit more home runs than any team this postseason. So maybe it was only fitting that 5-foot-9-inch Sal Frelick, who has 21 homers in his four-year big league career and had four home runs all season, was Game 2’s long-ball hero and the latest Brewer to defy the odds. Frelick hadn’t homered since July 11 and hadn’t homered off a left-handed pitcher since Opening Day. That changed Saturday night, when he led off the sixth inning with a 408-foot blast off Ian Seymour to tie the game. Rays center fielder Jonny DeLuca tracked the ball back to the wall, looked up in disbelief, then bent down incredulously. Meanwhile, Frelick went berserk rounding first base, celebrating his accomplishment right along with the 43,245 fans in attendance at American Family Field, there to see the Brewers’ latest comeback success and stunning power display. There were no home runs hit in Game 1 of the World Series, marking the first time that has happened to begin a Fall Classic since the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and Mets. In Game 2, both teams went deep, starting with Hicks in the first inning followed by Frelick in the sixth. It was Frelick’s first postseason home run since Game 3 of the 2024 wild-card series. The Brewers continue to boggle minds. No reliever in playoff history has accomplished what Aaron Ashby has this postseason. October’s best bullpen was at it again Saturday, as the Brewers held the Rays scoreless for the final six innings after Henderson’s early departure. Appropriately, it was Ashby who finished it. Ashby entered the night with 14 scoreless innings in this postseason, and he’s now up to 15 2/3 after closing out Game 2. Hall of Famer Goose Gossage (14 1/3) previously had the most scoreless innings to finish a single postseason.  Andrew Miller had the record for the most scoreless relief innings to start a postseason with 16 back in 2016 for Cleveland, though his streak eventually ended in the World Series. Ashby struck out three batters and stranded the tying run at third in the ninth to secure his third save of the postseason. The Milwaukee bullpen is now 8-1 with a 1.24 ERA and eight saves this October. 4 ½. What’s Next? Get ready to see another familiar face, Brewers fans. On Friday night, the crowd at American Family Field acknowledged Freddy Peralta’s contributions over eight seasons in Milwaukee by welcoming him back warmly when his name was called during Game 1 introductions. It was a moment the Rays pitcher described as “unbelievable.” “I’m extremely grateful that at the end of the day, the way the fans feel about me gives me the clarification that I did something right in Milwaukee when I was here,” Peralta said. Moving forward, however, Brewers fans might not be so happy to see him. Peralta faced his former team on July 20 and was tagged for seven runs in 5.1 innings. At that point, he was struggling through his brief tenure with the Mets before reviving his season with an Aug. 2 trade to Tampa Bay. After posting a 3.25 ERA over 10 regular-season starts with the Rays, he’ll enter Game 3 with a 1.08 ERA through four postseason appearances. Now, after rediscovering the form that Brewers fans know well, Peralta will start Game 3 in Tampa Bay against Milwaukee southpaw Robert Gasser. The Rays will need their deadline star to shine; of the 57 teams to take a 2-0 advantage in the World Series, 46 have gone on to win.