Brewers Starting Lineup for Game 2 vs. Rays: What Changed and What Matters

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Fresh off their Game 1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Milwaukee Brewers will roll out the exact same lineup for Game 2.

1. LF Jackson Chourio
2. 1B Jake Bauers
3. DH Christian Yelich
4. C William Contreras
5. 2B Brice Turang
6. CF Garrett Mitchell
7. SS Cooper Pratt
8. RF Sal Frelick
9. 3B David Hamilton
SP Logan Henderson

The Brewers will face Drew Rasmussen for Game 2. The Rays moved their ace back a game coming off a six-game ALCS. Rasmussen was once a Brewer, but was dealt in May 2021 for shortstop Willy Adames.

A win would mean not only did the Brewers defend their home field, but also a prohibitive 2-0 lead in the series. Milwaukee has won the first two games in both the NLDS against the San Diego Padres and the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Takeaways From Brewers Game 2 Lineup

The Brewers started this lineup against Nick Martinez in Game 1. The top of the order produced two runs in the first, allowing Milwaukee to play downhill on the Rays all game long. Even though it was a close game, the Brewers were able to dictate the flow of the game and did enough offensively to remain in that position.

Jackson Chourio continues to make history every game he plays. He is already the Brewers postseason leader in RBI, adding one more to the tally in Game 1. That puts him at 19 postseason RBI, the most by any player before their 23rd birthday, per MLB's Sarah Langs. Chourio has potentially up to six more games to pad his lead.

The Brewers don't have much experience facing Rasmussen in their careers. Jake Bauers has the most plate appearances against the Rays ace, with nine. William Contreras is the only other player with at least six.

With another All-Star on the mound, the Brewers are placing their veteran hitters at the top of their lineup after Chourio. They'll need a repeat performance from Christian Yelich and Contreras to score on Rasmussen.

Drew Rasmussen Faces Former Team in World Series

The Brewers know they are in for a tough matchup for Game 2. They're starting a 24-year-old rookie against a potential American League Cy Young finalist. To get the crowd going and help their young starter settle in, they know scoring first can be critical. Milwaukee is 3-0 when scoring first this postseason.

The former Brewer has slightly better platoon splits vs. right-handed hitters, but he's still going to be a tough matchup either way. He's held lefties to a .205/.253/.315 slash in 2026. So it won't be easy for them either way.

Rasmussen faced the Brewers on April 1. He held Milwaukee to two runs over five innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. He received a no-decision, as the Brewers went on to win 8-2.