World Series: Rays Force a Fifth Game Against Brewers

The Tampa Bay Rays avoided elimination in the World Series on Tuesday, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings. The victory shortened the deficit in the best-of-seven series to 3-1. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday.

Historical data shows that only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have overcome a 3-0 deficit in MLB postseason play. That represents a 2.4% success rate. For teams trailing 3-1, the odds of winning the series stand at 14.6%, based on 14 successful comebacks out of 96 attempts. Teams in this specific situation have a 50-50 record in Game 5.

Manager Kevin Cash used seven pitchers in Tuesday's game to secure the win. This strategy depletes the starting staff for the next day. Starter Griffin Jax threw 74 pitches and is likely unavailable. Nick Martinez, originally slated to start Game 5, relieved Jax and threw two scoreless innings on 33 pitches. Cole Sulser, Steven Matz, and Garrett Cleavinger did not pitch on Tuesday and remain the primary options for Wednesday. Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly sat out Game 3 and are presumed available. Ian Seymour threw 32 pitches on Tuesday, which may rule him out. Tyler Wells and Cameron Booser have worked two consecutive days. Drew Rasmussen is on three days of rest and has never made a short-rest start in his career.

Milwaukee has a clearer path for its starting pitcher. Jacob Misiorowski, a 24-year-old National League Cy Young favorite, will take the mound for his fourth playoff start. He is the hardest-throwing starter in the league. In Game 1, he pitched five innings, allowed one run, and earned the win. That outing came after 11 days of rest. On Wednesday, he will work on standard four-day rest. He is currently in career-high workload territory, so his previous sharpness may vary. The Brewers may need him to pitch deep because their bullpen worked hard in Game 4.

Junior Caminero, the Rays' best hitter, left Game 4 in the 12th inning with a left foot injury. He was on base when Joey Ortiz made a throwing error. Cash confirmed Caminero will play Wednesday. Cash said, 'He'll play tomorrow on one leg. I'll make sure of it.'

The 23-year-old faces a hurdle in the postseason. He has a .717 OPS but only one home run in 48 at-bats. During the regular season, he hit 42 home runs, which equates to one every 14.7 at-bats. The Rays may need his usual power output to keep the series alive.