If there's one thing the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have in common, it's their patience on both sides of the field. Two elite defensive teams with stacked lineups of high-level fielders and pitchers, neither of these teams is usually expected to chase a bunch of home runs unless the opportunity presents itself. They like to make contact, extend pitch counts, and pounce when the right pitch gets hurled down the middle.
In Game 1 of the World Series, we saw both sides trying to remain patient at the plate and get on base one way or another, whether it be by baiting balls or making contact with a loaded count. However, both managers were cognizant of this strategy, and their pitchers executed well, allowing two walks each in the contest.
Heading into an elite pitching showdown in Game 2 between Drew Rasmussen and Logan Henderson, we can likely expect more of the same — extended at-bats, patience at the plate, and a whole lot of attempted steals when the pitcher has their attention focused elsewhere. Although it might sound risky, this is the baseline philosophy that got both of these teams here in the first place.
Brace yourself for more stolen bases, long at-bats, and plenty of foul balls as the Brewers and Rays face off in World Series Game 2.
With 164 and 162, respectively, the Rays and Brewers were both Top-5 finishers in stolen bases this season. These are two aggressive teams that share a pain point of stranding runners on base after solid contact hitting through extended innings. While Milwaukee managed to get the best of Tampa Bay in the first outing, it's hard to imagine the battle will get any easier under the brightest lights on Saturday night.
The advantage Milwaukee held in the regular season was the ability to get runners on base, ranking second in the league in walks with 668 compared to the 22nd-ranked Rays at 514. Even in the postseason, Tampa Bay has just 23 walks to the Brewers' 38, as Milwaukee's regular-season strategy translated better than expected in the Division Series and Championship Series.
Milwaukee's real challenge will be with Rasmussen on the mound. The 31-year-old All-Star pitcher has only allowed three earned runs and 13 hits in three starts this postseason. Although he's been far from invincible, giving up two home runs in the process, his deadly cutter and four-seam fastball have carved up opposing batters as of late.
However, manager Pat Murphy remains adamant about sticking to his guns and playing Brewers baseball the way we've come to expect, which should pose a real challenge for Rasmussen. So if Milwaukee can overcome Tampa Bay's toughest pitcher, their outlook for the rest of the series will see a dramatic uptick.
Add us as a preferred source on Google