World Series Game 2 Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers (1-0) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (0-1)

The World Series started with a bang last night, as the Brewers escaped with a close victory despite a ninth-inning rally (and some favorable umpiring) that led to the first run allowed in Trevor Megill’s postseason. See postgame comments from both managers and several of the key players in our Brewers Notes, here.

Don’t expect things to get any easier today. After the somewhat controversial decision to go with number-three starter Nick Martinez in Game 1, the Rays will send ace Drew Rasmussen, who has been the best starting pitcher in these playoffs, to the mound in Game 2 with an extra day of rest. Milwaukee will counter with Logan Henderson.

Rasmussen, the 31-year-old right-hander, has made three starts this postseason. In the first, he dominated the Yankees: eight innings, 10 strikeouts, one hit, two walks, no runs in a 1-0 victory. He pitched twice in the ALCS, first in a game in which he allowed just two runs (both solo homers) in six innings but lost, and a win in Game 5 when he went seven innings, struck out six, and allowed one run. Overall this postseason he’s averaging seven innings per start, has 23 strikeouts to just three walks, and has a 1.29 ERA and 2.58 FIP.

That postseason success follows a season that could see him finish in the top five in AL Cy Young voting. Rasmussen went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA, 2.82 FIP, and league-leading marks in WHIP (0.913) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.44). Like Martinez, Rasmussen is one of the best pitchers in the league at limiting walks (just 1.7 per nine), so it’s a bit of an “unstoppable force, immovable object” situation with Milwaukee’s ultra patient lineup.

Folks will also remember that Rasmussen was, briefly, a Brewer. Milwaukee drafted him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, and he debuted with the team in 2020. On May 21st, 2021, Rasmussen was the key piece going back to Tampa in one of the more consequential trades of the Brewers’ recent past, the swap that brought Willy Adames to Milwaukee. Rasmussen emerging into an ace over the last couple of years makes that sting a bit. But Adames is very popular franchise figure who gave the Brewers three-and-a-half very good seasons, and the Brewers were also compensated with the draft pick that turned into Brady Ebel, so it seems to be one of those trades that worked out for both sides.

For the Brewers, Henderson makes his third start of the postseason. Things haven’t been quite as easy for him in the playoffs as they were during the regular season, but his teammates (and his own defense) haven’t exactly picked him up; Henderson has allowed six runs over two postseason starts, but only three were earned. In five innings against the Padres, Henderson allowed just two hits but uncharacteristically walked three en route to two runs, one earned in a game that the Brewers won 4-3. In Game 2 of the NLCS against Los Angeles, Henderson went four innings, walked two, allowed three hits, and gave up four runs, though only two were earned. Milwaukee was resilient in that game and won 7-4.

We’re still waiting to see the best version of Henderson, the one who went 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA during the regular season. That pitcher matched Rasmussen’s sparkling 1.7 BB/9 and struck out batters at a higher rate, giving him a K:BB ratio (5.79) that bested even the Tampa ace’s American-League-leading mark. Brewers fans will also be hoping that Henderson didn’t get into his own head after two bad throws to first handed the Dodgers a pair of runs in the NLCS; I wouldn’t be surprised if Chandler Simpson checked on Henderson’s confidence in his throwing arm during his first at-bat tonight.

In a bit of a surprise (only because they almost never did this during the regular season), the Brewers are rolling out the same lineup tonight against Rasmussen as they did yesterday versus Nick Martinez, with Jackson Chourio leading off, followed by Jake Bauers, Christian yelich, William Contreras, Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton. The Rays made a change at second base, where Richie Palacios, who is batting .364 in the postseason, enters the lineup in place of Ben Williamson.

First pitch is around 7:15pm on Fox, with pregame coverage starting at 6pm. Of course, you can always find the game on the Brewers Radio Network.