World Series preview: Brewers, Rays eye Fall Classic breakthrough

If one factor is evident after 162 video games of regular-season motion and three rounds of playoff baseball, it’s that the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have separated themselves as one of the best of one of the best of their respective leagues.

Coming off convincing victories within the National and American League Championship Series, the Brewers and Rays discover themselves because the final groups standing within the hunt for the Commissioner’s Trophy this season.

Catch every sport of the 2026 World Series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, starting with Game 1 Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

However this yr’s World Series performs out, a first-time champion will likely be topped, as Milwaukee dropped its lone journey to the Fall Classic in 1982 whereas Tampa Bay fell on baseball’s last stage in 2008 and 2020. 

Although neither aspect has claimed that elusive World Series title, that is nonetheless a gathering between two of baseball’s strongest organizations.

Since 2018, the Brewers and Rays have emerged as October staples, combining for 14 playoff appearances, 9 division titles, 5 championship-series berths and a .569 regular-season profitable proportion.

This season was no completely different as Milwaukee and Tampa Bay continued to stake their claims as two of the best-run franchises in baseball, counting on sturdy pitching and defence, stable baserunning and a contact-heavy strategy to succeed in the World Series.

Now, we’ll see who can end the job beneath the brightest lights the game has to supply.

No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers (103-59) vs. No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays (98-64)

What’s working for the Brewers: After profitable an MLB-best 103 video games within the common season, Milwaukee has continued to roll in October, shedding only one sport whereas dispatching the San Diego Padres and spoiling the Los Angeles Dodgers’ three-peat bid. 

But it was the best way the Brewers dealt with the Dodgers that confirmed issues are completely different in Cream City this yr. Milwaukee trailed in all 4 video games of its sweep of Los Angeles and proved undaunted by a star-studded rotation headlined by Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Best exemplified by NLCS MVP Jake Bauers’ 12- and 11-pitch at-bats in Games 2 and three, the Crew’s offence wore down a few of the greatest pitchers on the planet with a resilient, relentless strategy earlier than cashing in to finish the four-game stunner.

As spectacular as Milwaukee’s lineup was in opposition to Los Angeles, although, its bullpen continued to be the hero of October for the NL Central champs. After Brewers relievers mixed to permit only one earned run over 19 innings within the NLDS, they allowed 5 earned and struck out 22 over 21.2 NLCS innings — led by 6.2 scoreless frames from Aaron Ashby, who closed Game 4 with a nine-out save. 

What’s working for the Rays: After falling behind 2-1 within the ALCS in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay ripped off three straight wins to say the pennant behind its deep beginning rotation and its three greatest hitters.

In Games 1 by 3 in opposition to Cleveland, Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero went a mixed 5-for-34 with two extra-base hits and one stroll. But within the last three contests of the sequence, the trio flipped the script. They went 15-for-39 with six extra-base hits, together with three homers, altering the tenor of the sequence. Often in October, stars drive outcomes within the largest moments, and if the Rays are to take down the Brewers, they’ll want Díaz, Aranda and Caminero to maintain swinging sizzling bats.

The stars within the lineup weren’t the one ones to make their mark in opposition to the Guardians, nonetheless. Tampa Bay’s beginning employees of Drew Rasmussen, ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez put a lid on any momentum Cleveland was carrying from its ALDS comeback in opposition to Chicago, allowing simply three earned runs throughout 18.1 innings within the Rays’ three straight wins. That constructed on what has been an distinctive post-season for Tampa Bay’s starters, who personal a 1.98 playoff ERA — one of the best in baseball — with Rasmussen and Peralta pitching past their all-star resumes.

Where the Brewers are susceptible: When Milwaukee started its post-season journey, it felt possible that its top-of-rotation duo, Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson, could be paramount to its success in opposition to a few of the NL’s most potent lineups. But as an alternative of constructing on their elite regular-season numbers, “The Miz” and Henderson have been somewhat underwhelming. Misiorowski hasn’t made it out of the fifth inning in both of his begins, and Henderson has seen his stroll charge leap by over seven per cent.

The Brewers have leaned on their bullpen to nice success in these playoffs, however in comparison with Tampa Bay — which has gotten extra high quality innings from its rotation than every other membership this post-season — their relievers have been pushed tougher. And as we’ve seen play out usually in October, even probably the most dependable bullpens can succumb to a heavy workload. So, in a sequence that appears to be as tight as this one, Milwaukee will want Misiorowski and Henderson to rediscover their regular-season type.

Where the Rays are susceptible: When Rasmussen, Peralta, Martinez, Cam Booser and Bryan Baker have been on the mound for Tampa Bay this post-season, issues have typically gone fairly effectively for the Rays. But when it’s been every other member of Tampa’s pitching employees, its opponents have typically discovered a technique to rating. In 58.1 playoff innings, the 5 listed above have posted a 1.23 ERA, whereas in 21.2 innings from the remainder of the employees, that quantity has ballooned to six.23. 

As we noticed within the NLCS, the Brewers haven’t any downside sporting down premier beginning pitching. But with the bridge between Tampa Bay’s starters and its all-star nearer Baker so shaky, supervisor Kevin Cash goes to wish to rigorously decide and select the spots by which he deploys his relievers and maybe get artistic along with his extra dependable arms.

It’ll all come right down to: Which cracks first, Tampa Bay’s rotation or Milwaukee’s bullpen? The Rays and Brewers have many similarities. With their sturdy pitching staffs, pace on the basepaths, athleticism throughout the diamond and sufficient energy to go away the yard when it issues, they’ve constructed two rosters worthy of profitable all of it. But on their paths to this World Series, they’ve used completely different approaches to cowl 27 outs, with Tampa Bay’s starters dominating deeper into video games and Milwaukee’s relievers shutting down late-game comebacks. With so little separating these groups, the Fall Classic might hinge on whose power holds up longer over the best-of-seven.