Rays Cut Brewers Lead to 3-1 After 12-Inning Win

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings on Tuesday, avoiding a sweep in the World Series. The win trimmed Milwaukee's lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-1. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay now faces a 14.6% chance of winning the championship. Historically, 14 of the 96 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in a best-of-seven series have rallied to claim the title. Teams trailing 3-1 also split Game 5 evenly, going 50-50 in those specific contests.

The Rays' manager, Kevin Cash, deployed seven pitchers in Tuesday's game to secure the victory. This strategy depleted his available arms for the next day. Nick Martinez, originally slated to start Game 5, threw two scoreless innings in relief using 33 pitches. Griffin Jax threw 74 pitches and is expected to rest.

Cole Sulser, Steven Matz, and Garrett Cleavinger did not pitch on Tuesday and remain candidates to throw. Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly also have rest, having sat out Monday's Game 3 loss. Ian Seymour threw 32 pitches and may sit. Tyler Wells and Cameron Booser have pitched on consecutive days. Drew Rasmussen would be on his shortest rest in his career if he starts, with only three days off.

Milwaukee has a clear path with starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. The 24-year-old National League Cy Young favorite is set to make his fourth playoff start. In Game 1, he pitched five innings, allowed one run, and won the decision. He will pitch on standard four days of rest after having 11 days off before Game 1.

Tampa Bay's lead hitter, Junior Caminero, left the 12th inning of Tuesday's game with a left foot injury. He reached base on a throwing error by Joey Ortiz before the injury occurred. Cash stated that Caminero will play on Wednesday. "He'll play tomorrow on one leg," Cash said. "I'll make sure of it."

Caminero is a 23-year-old power hitter who has hit 42 home runs in the regular season. His postseason performance has been quieter, with one home run in 48 at-bats and a .717 OPS. The Rays need his offensive output to force the series back to Milwaukee for a decisive Game 7.