It certainly won't be an easy feat, but the Milwaukee Brewers have a legitimate chance to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series on Monday night in Tampa Bay. Milwaukee came out on top in back-to-back one-run victories to open the Fall Classic, but the Rays made them work extremely hard for each of them. In front of their home crowd on the west-central coast of Florida, the proposition grows even more intense.
Even with a daunting task ahead of them, this Milwaukee lineup remains "undaunted," in the words and philosophy of Pat Murphy. So if they carry that same mentality into Game 3, there's nothing this team is not capable of accomplishing.
First, the Brewers will need to execute on the game's minutiae in what's been one of the most meticulous, detailed World Series matchups we've seen in years. It's a back-and-forth chess match that will only go right if they keep every factor in mind while sticking to the signature brand of Brewers baseball that brought them to this moment.
To do so, they'll need to capitalize in three key aspects of World Series Game 3.
1. The Brewers cannot afford to let Junior Caminero get hot in front of Tampa Bay's home crowd.
During the regular season, All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero was the bedrock of the Rays' offense. He played in all 162 games, mashing 42 home runs and 101 RBIs to lead Tampa Bay in both categories. Caminero boasts one of the hardest-hitting swings in the major leagues and the capacity to stay hot when he gets hot, so Milwaukee needs to be extra careful.
Milwaukee has done a great job of keeping him in check this series — albeit "great" in this context means holding him to two hits, a run, and an RBI through seven plate appearances. But compared to what he's capable of when fully locked in, it's hard to argue this is an acceptable outcome for the Brewers this far.
At times, Caminero struggles with non-fastball pitches from southpaws, and projected Game 3 starter Robert Gasser has a mean mix of sweepers, sinkers, cutters, and changeups to throw his way. Even so, the Brewers cannot afford to come into this game with inflated egos or ill-advised confidence. They still have a tall task ahead of them and need to execute against one of the most formidable offensive threats in the sport. That's the only way they can possibly steal a game or two on the road.
2. Milwaukee's best path to victory is limiting the Rays' stolen bases while stealing a few of their own.
Thus far in the World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers are six for six on stolen bases, to Tampa Bay's four-of-six. Considering how talented these teams are defensively, every stolen base requires an extra gear of effort and hustle you only find at the highest level of the sport, and thus far, it's worked out in the Brewers' favor.
Tampa Bay finished third in the MLB in stolen bases this season (153) and led the American League. Milwaukee ranked fifth in that department and fourth in the National League. This is core to the design and strategy of both of these teams, putting runners in scoring position at every credible opportunity.
Holding onto the margin of stolen bases and successful steals is one way to throw the Rays off their axis. If the Brewers can continue to swipe more bags than Tampa Bay, or even continue to catch them stealing, it'll pay off in dividends by increasing their scoring potential and establishing another edge in the mental game.
3. The Brewers' batting lineup needs to approach Freddy Peralta the same way they did when he was with the Mets.
It's still all love between Freddy Peralta and the Milwaukee Brewers despite the trade that sent him to the New York Mets last offseason, but that doesn't mean they need to act like it when he's on the mound. That mentality was on display in Peralta's Milwaukee homecoming earlier this year, when he posted a 11.81 ERA and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings.
Context matters: Peralta, then a member of the Mets, was playing with one of the worst defensive cores in the MLB this year. Ever since joining the Rays, Freddy is in familiar territory, playing with the only other defensive lineup that contests the Brewers for the title of best in the major leagues. And in his last 10 starts, Peralta is operating at one of the highest levels we've ever seen from him, posting a 1.58 ERA and 45 strikeouts en route to a 7-1 record.
Regardless of what he's done up to this point, Milwaukee's lineup and coaching staff know Peralta all too well. Not to say he's predictable, because Peralta is a skilled and cerebral opponent, but this is an organization that's watched every step of his evolution closely and helped build him up to the pitcher he's become in Tampa Bay. They should be able to tap back into his tendencies and swing accordingly.
Otherwise, there's a likely chance that trade comes back to bite them in World Series Game 3.
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