The Milwaukee Brewers are up 2-0 in the World Series, their first Fall Classic in 44 years. On Monday night, they will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead as the series has shifted to Tampa Bay, where the Rays will host the next three (if necessary) games.
Milwaukee has already announced that Robert Gasser will take the mound for them as they look to extend their series lead. The Brewers used the same batting order in Game Two as they did in Game One, and with another right-hander on the mound for Tampa Bay (former Brewers ace Freddy Peralta), there is little reason to think there will be any changes to the Milwaukee lineup.
Which means, of course, that Cooper Pratt will be back at shortstop.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick defends Cooper Pratt
Pratt hit a respectable .281/.350/.368 with three home runs, 34 RBI, and 19 stolen bases after getting called up the Major Leagues earlier this year. His offensive performance was somewhat of a bonus as the Brewers loved his defense far more than his offensive output in the minors.
And he did, indeed, play pretty good defense at shortstop once he reached the Bigs. However, since the postseason has started, the young 22-year-old has committed multiple errors that have, at times, led to the other team scoring runs.
Such was the case in Game Two when a Pratt error allowed a Rays baserunner who later came around to score the first run of the game. Many fans wanted to see the rookie shortstop benched in favor of Joey Ortiz.
After the game, though, Sal Frelick, whose home run tied the game in the seventh inning, defended his teammate:
“This is a rookie. People forget. This is our shortstop, this is a rookie, and we trust him.
“I just hope everybody understands how hard that is, especially in the moment. All you want to do is throw something or get mad, but you got four at-bats. I was just proud of that.”
Baseball has a way of giving players chances at redemption. While it was Frelick’s home run that tied the game, it was an RBI single hit by Pratt that plated the go-ahead and, ultimately, winning run.
Milwaukee went 103-59 in the regular season and are now 9-1 so far in the postseason. Manager Pat Murphy knows what works, and his entire team has bought in.
This means that Pratt is almost certainly going to be back in the lineup for Game Three.
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