Oct 24, 2026 6:00 PM
The Tampa Bay Rays ace returns to his former home as a dominant Milwaukee Brewers lineup aims for a 2-0 World Series lead.
Drew Rasmussen played for the Milwaukee Brewers when it was called Miller Park.
Here in 2026, he's the ace of the Tampa Bay Rays and is their Game 2 starter in the World Series in front of what will be an incredible atmosphere at American Family Field.
Milwaukee took Game 1, 3-2, and now it's up to Logan Henderson to keep the momentum going.
Rays manager Kevin Cash opted to have Nick Martinez start Game 1, and that's a decision he may end up regretting as the veteran allowed a pair of runs in the first inning that set the tone for Milwaukee.
Now, it's Rasmussen's Milwaukee return against Henderson, a guy who has outpitched Jacob Misiorowski so far in the postseason.
Brewers must stop Jonathan Aranda
Getting Yandy Diaz to go 0-for-4 is great to see, but Jonathan Aranda follows him in the lineup, and he went 3-for-3 with a run and a walk in Game 1.
To say it was impossible to put him away would be an understatement, and he's now hitting .316 in the playoffs.
Will Cash change the bottom of the Rays lineup?
Milwaukee is going with another right-handed starter, but the bottom of this Rays lineup did absolutely nothing of note in Game 1.
From Jonny DeLuca down, they were a combined 1-for-13 with no walks and five strikeouts.
Victor Mesa Jr. had the lone hit from the team's six through nine hitters, and not even Cash's pinch-hitting option, Ryan Vilade, was able to get on base.
Top of the Brewers lineup delivered
On the flip side, the Brewers were thrilled with the production out of their top four hitters.
Swapping Jake Bauers and Brice Turang was a genius decision, and moving Christian Yelich up to third paid off in a big way.
That's not to say Jackson Chourio, Bauers, Yelich, and William Contreras will have the same success against Rasmussen, but they're coming off a full week of rest and still went 6-for-15 with three RBIs and two runs.
Milwaukee has a fresh bullpen
One of the many benefits of having a full week off is the fact that these arms are able to get some much-needed rest.
With how well their bullpen has pitched in the playoffs, it was only a matter of time before a team was going to crack the code.
The Rays nearly did against Trevor Megill, but luckily for the Brewers, they still have Shane Drohan, DL Hall, Dustin May, Kyle Harrison, JoJo Romero, Antonio Senzatela, and even Brandon Woodruff to go to if the opportunity presents itself.
Looking ahead, it's safe to assume Robert Gasser will start Game 3, and then it'll either be May in Game 4 or the team will use an opener as they did in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
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