Joc Pederson leaves game following HBP

Aaron Ashby, who also had a great case for NLCS MVP honors, again gets snubbed here. Cooper Pratt and Jackson Chourio both had better offensive series than Contreras, but the catcher does deserve credit for his four caught stealings and his great success challenging pitches. He was also the Brewers’ best hitter overall this postseason, finishing with a 1.036 OPS, three homers and nine RBI in 12 games.

William Contreras and David Hamilton also knocked in runs, and Milwaukee’s pitching staff saved its best performance for the very end, with Jacob Misiorowski going 5 2/3 scoreless before leaving with a leg cramp and JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill finishing the four-hitter. It’s the Brewers’ first World Series title since the franchise entered the league in 1969. They went 11-2 in October following a regular season in which they led the majors and set a franchise record with 103 victories.

It sounded like the Rays had Rasmussen on a limit of about 60 pitches going into the game, but they didn’t bring him back out for the fifth after just 48 pitches. Rasmussen allowed only two hits, walked none and struck out four, and his fastball velocity, which was up one mph from his season average, held steady throughout. After he was pulled, the Brewers scored once in the fifth and twice in the sixth. Rasmussen was charged with the loss, his first in a postseason in which he made five starts with a 2.20 ERA.

It really just seemed to be a cramp, but Misiorowski was still feeling it as he tried as a warmup pitch and the decision was made to lift him. Misorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings before departing a 4-0 lead against the Rays. Even if not for the issue, it seems quite unlikely that he would have come back out for the seventh. JoJo Romero replaced him in the contest.

The Brewers have made just one change in the series, swapping Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell in Game 4. They’re sticking with that arrangement tonight. The lineup: LF Jackson Chourio, 1B Jake Bauers, DH Christian Yelich, C William Contreras, 2B Brice Turang, RF Frelick, SS Cooper Pratt, CF Mitchell and 3B David Hamilton.

Misiorowski was considerably more lethal against lefties than righties this season, and the Rays don’t think it’s a fluke. As a result, Richie Palacios and Victor Mesa Jr. are sitting tonight, as is the long-forgotten Cedric Mullins. The lineup: DH Yandy Díaz, 1B Jonathan Aranda, 3B Junior Caminero, C Liam Hicks, CF Jonny DeLuca, LF Chandler Simpson, 2B Williamson, RF Vilade and SS Taylor Walls.

Caminero seemed to be struggling with a foot issue before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the 12th inning Tuesday, but manager Kevin Cash said afterwards that it was nothing that would affect his availability. Caminero is batting third tonight.

The Rays have their backs up against the wall, so they will now turn to their ace, Drew Rasmussen, to start Game 5. Rasmussen just threw 3 2/3 innings on Saturday night, so he will come into this one on just three days’ rest. With that in mind, it’s unlikely that Rasmussen pitches deep into this game, but the Rays will help that he can keep the Brewers off the board in the first few innings and give them the chance to build a lead they can hand over to the bullpen.

Parker is now up to five steals in the AFL season while hitting .423 with a 1.097 OPS in 26 at-bats. The 5'7" Parker hit .253/.347/.467 in 87 games at Double-A this season with 19 home runs and 12 steals. He is also working in the outfield during the AFL season to try and increase his chances of helping the big league club. He should begin 2027 at Triple-A and has a chance to push for MLB at-bats if he continues to flash that kind of power and speed.

The big right-hander struck out five and walked two while throwing 38 of his 63 pitches for strikes. After undergoing lat surgery in 2025, Susana didn’t pitch in the minor leagues this season until August, so this was his longest outing since early in 2025. While he showed off his trademark triple-digit four-seamer, he also heavily mixed in a sinker that runs in on the hands of right-handers and an upper-80s power curve. The Nationals also have him working on a tighter cutter that he’s been throwing in the upper 90s in Arizona. Given his long layoff, health is the biggest positive for Susana, but if the 22-year-old is able to find a pitch mix that will give him good enough command to pair with his elite fastballs, he could be an impact arm for the Nationals in 2027.