Brewers pound Rays to take a 3-0 series lead

The Tampa Bay Rays were hoping a change of scenery would jumpstart their struggling offense, however it was the Milwaukee Brewers that made a statement. The Brewers have been the better team this entire series and that was never more apparent than Game 3 where they rode an eight-run inning to a 10-1 win.

The Rays turned to ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta in Game 3 in hopes that he could hold Milwaukee’s offense in check. He worked out of a jam in the first inning and put up another zero in the second thanks to a great play by Chandler Simpson in left field on a deep drive by Sal Frelick.

The Brewers broke through in the third on RBI singles by Christian Yelich and William Contreras to take a 2-0 lead. Peralta held them in check in the fourth and then came within an eyelash of getting through the fifth.

Peralta retired David Hamilton to start the inning but then allowed a single to Jackson Chourio. Jake Bauers flew out for the second out but then walked Yelich to put runners at first and second. Contreras then sent a grounder into the hole that Junior Caminero fielded and fired to second for what appeared to be a force out. However, the play was overturned after the Brewers challenged and replay showed that Yelich beat the throw to second.

Rays manager Kevin Cash would go to his bullpen for lefty Cam Booser and that is where things completely unraveled. Milwaukee opened the floodgates with seven straight hits with two outs. By the time the dust had cleared, eight runs had scored and the score was 10-0. The Brewers sent 12 men to the plate in the inning and scored the eight runs without a home run.

It wasn’t just the offense for the Brewers. Game 3 starter Robert Gasser allowed a leadoff single to Yandi Diaz in the first inning. He allowed a walk in the sixth inning that was erased on a double play. He faced the minimum through six innings on just 75 pitches. Gasser has made three starts during the postseason at San Diego, at Los Angeles and then in Game 3 in Tampa and has allowed just one run over 15 innings.

Chourio entered the series MVP chat with four hits and two runs scored. He is 8-for-14 in the series with four runs scored, two RBIs and three stolen bases. Contreras added three more hits of his own and is 7-for-14 at the plate in the series and was perfect on four ABS challenges. All nine Brewers in the starting lineup scored at least one run and eight of the nine finished with at least one hit. Diaz accounted for the Rays’ only run with a run-scoring double in the ninth.

The win pushes the Brewers to the brink of their first-ever championship. Neither team has announced a starter for Tuesday’s Game 4 but Monday’s blowout allowed Milwaukee to give their top relievers another day of rest. No team in World Series history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.