Brewers Near World Series Glory with Game 2 Comeback

The Tampa Bay Rays face a challenging road in the 2026 World Series after losing the first two games at Milwaukee. The Brewers reversed a deficit in Game 2 to win and move two games closer to their first World Series title.

Game 2 began with promise for the Rays. Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero each hit RBI singles, followed by a two-run homer from Liam Hicks, establishing a four-run lead. However, the Brewers responded promptly. William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell each achieved an RBI single, shrinking the Rays’ lead to two runs.

The game’s starting pitchers, Logan Henderson for the Brewers and Drew Rasmussen for the Rays, combined for just six and two-thirds innings. Rasmussen exited the game in the fourth inning after loading the bases and allowing another run. Christian Yelich grounded out, concluding that particular threat.

The Brewers’ bullpen, however, held firm. Sal Frelick leveled the score with a lefty-against-lefty solo homer off Rays’ reliever Ian Seymour in the sixth inning. The following inning saw Cooper Pratt driving in Brice Turang to place Milwaukee in the lead.

In the eighth inning, the Brewers put runners in scoring position, but were unable to secure additional runs. The Rays had a chance in the ninth with Johnny DeLuca’s double, positioning him as the potential tying run. Yet, Aaron Ashby extended his scoreless postseason streak to 15.2 innings, ending the game when Yandy Diaz was ruled to have not checked his swing on a critical full count.

Overall, Milwaukee tallied 11 hits to Tampa Bay’s seven, with the Rays’ hits mostly concentrated in the first inning. The last team to win the World Series after losing the first two games was the 1996 New York Yankees, who lost their initial games at home. Historically, teams that win the first two games in a best-of-seven series often have a strong record of success, standing at 79-16.

As the series heads to Tampa Bay for Game 3, the Rays will aim to rebound on Monday night.