Vinnie Pasquantino blasts 14th home run vs. Pirates

The 30-year-old hurler underwent Tommy John surgery in late February. He has been throwing since late August and should be able to go through a familiar offseason routine. Some inconsistency is always to be expected when pitcher’s return from the procedure, but Lopez could represent a nice value in early fantasy drafts.

Pratt’s day got off to a rough start, as he made an error that allowed Yandy Díaz to reach second base and score one of four runs for the Rays in the first inning. It was all Brewers from that point on, and Pratt made up for the gaffe with an opposite-field single that scored Brice Turang in the seventh that gave the Brew Crew a 5-4 lead and ultimately the victory. Pratt has now made four errors and a few other mistakes in the field, but he has hit .286 in the postseason, and he now has Milwaukee two wins away from their first ever championship. Game 3 will take place Monday with the series moving to Tampa Bay.

With the Brewers trailing 4-3, Frelick took left-hander Ian Seymour over the center-field wall to tie the game at 4-4. It was the first homer of the postseason for the outfielder, and he’s driven in four runs while hitting a solid .273/.370/.409 thus far. He’ll likely hit near the bottom of the order again in Game 3 as the Brewers are two wins away from their first ever championship.

Hicks extended the Rays’ lead to 4-0, and it came in the first inning on a two-run homer off Logan Henderson. The Rays wouldn’t score another run, and Hicks was thrown out at home plate on a send that was at best aggressive and at (accurately) worst insane. Hicks has been able to drive in eight runs thus far in the postseason, and he’ll try and add to that total in a must-win game for the Rays on Monday in Game 3.

Ashby got the final two outs in the eighth inning, and the Brewers stuck with the southpaw for the final frame. He did allow a double to Jonny DeLuca to begin that inning, but he fanned Victor Mesa, got Ben Williamson to groundout meekly to second, and struck out Yandy Díaz to end the game. Trevor Megill will likely get a save chance if it’s there in Game 3, but it’s to say that Ashby isn’t the best reliever for the Brewers going right now.

Rasmussen was handed a four-run lead in the top half of the first inning, but that was halved when he allowed a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. He gave up another in the third in what was at best a lackluster effort for the 31-year-old; especially when you consider how dominant he’s been in the postseason. He was also hurt by his defense, with Jonathan Aranda dropping a foul ball that ended up coming him an out and run in the first, and what could have been a double-play ball hit to Aranda was booted by the first baseman to allow another run to score. It seems pretty likely that Rasmussen will start again in this series, but whether that happens in Game 5 or 6 remains to be determined.

All four runs allowed came in the first inning. After a Cooper Pratt error allowed Yandy Díaz to reach second base, Chandler Simpson poked a single for a run, and Simpson scored on a Junior Caminero hit down the line. Liam Hicks then took him deep for a two-run shot, and while Henderson settled down over the final two frames, the damage was done. Henderson threw only 64 pitches before exiting, so there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be available out of the bullpen — or possibly even a start — if the Brew Crew want to use him. One way or another, it seems unlikely this is Henderson’s final appearance in this series.

The arrangement helped put a win on the board last night, though the offense was limited to three runs and eight hits. The lineup: LF Jackson Chourio, 1B Jake Bauers, DH Christian Yelich, C William Contreras, 2B Brice Turang, CF Garrett Mitchell, SS Cooper Pratt, RF Sal Frelick and 3B David Hamilton.

Palacios almost always plays against righties, but the Rays went for defense in using Williamson over him last night. That’s the only personnel change from last night. The lineup: DH Yandy Díaz, 1B Jonathan Aranda, LF Chandler Simpson, 3B Junior Caminero, C Liam Hicks, 2B Palacios, CF Jonny DeLuca, RF Victor Mesa Jr. and SS Taylor Walls.

The 25-year-old Rodriguez is just 6-for-30 so far, but he’s tied for the league lead with four homers. Rodriguez has been in the Rangers system since 2018, and he hit .268/.325/.459 with 19 homers between Double- and Triple-A this season. Barring a surprising decision to add him to the 40-man, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency after the World Series.