MILWAUKEE (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays ace Drew Rasmussen had sailed through his first three postseason starts while working at least six innings in each of them.
asserted
Rasmussen → sail → them
He couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning Saturday night against a Milwaukee Brewers lineup that specializes in driving up pitch counts and grinding starters into submission.
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that → make → submission
“They put together good at-bats,” Rasmussen said after the Rays lost 5-4 to the Brewers in Game 2 of the World Series.
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Rays → put → Series
They fouled off some really good pitches.
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They → foul → pitches
They took some really quality pitches.
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They → take → pitches
They just fought, they scrapped and they just put pitches in play.”
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they → fight → play
Tampa Bay’s inability to protect an early 4-0 lead caused the Rays to fall behind 2-0 in this World Series featuring two franchises seeking their first championship.
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Rays → protect → championship
Rasmussen gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings, his shortest start since lasting just 2 1/3 innings in a 12-4 loss to the New York Yankees on July 9.
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Rasmussen → give → July
The Rays scored four runs in the first against Milwaukee rookie Logan Henderson.
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Rays → score → Henderson
That lead seemed pretty secure, considering Rasmussen entered the World Series having allowed three runs in 21 playoff innings against the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.
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Rasmussen → seem → Yankees
Milwaukee’s lineup proved tougher to solve.
“I thought early on my command wasn’t very good,” Rasmussen said.
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Rasmussen → prove → ?
“I felt like I was falling behind far too often to expect good results.
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I → feel → results
And then from there, they found themselves in some hitters’ counts and were able to find holes.”
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they → find → holes
Rasmussen also didn’t get much help from his defense.
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Rasmussen → get → defense
Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers opened the bottom of the first with consecutive singles to put runners on the corners.
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Chourio → open → corners
After Christian Yelich struck out swinging, William Contreras hit a high foul pop that went off the glove of first baseman Jonathan Aranda as he positioned himself near the netting in front of the stands.
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he → strike → stands
Given new life, Contreras singled home Chourio.
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Contreras → give → Chourio
Garrett Mitchell added an RBI single later in the inning to cut Milwaukee’s deficit to 4-2.
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Mitchell → add → 4
“There’s a lot of respect there,” Mitchell said.
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Mitchell → ’ → respect
“We know how great of a pitcher he is. …
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he → know → pitcher
For us, it’s chipping one at-bat after another, passing it from one guy to the next, because it’s not going to be done in one pitch or one swing.
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it → chip → pitch
It’s going to be quality at-bat after quality at-bat and kind of just trying to get his pitch count up.
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count → go → bat
Even when Rasmussen retired the side in order in the second, Milwaukee took something out of him.
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Milwaukee → retire → him
Chourio ended that inning by grounding out on an 11-pitch plate appearance.
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Chourio → end → appearance
In the fourth, Rasmussen walked Cooper Pratt, who scored from third when David Hamilton’s RBI grounder to first went through Aranda’s legs for an error.
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grounder → walk → error
Rasmussen left after issuing a two-out walk to Bauers on his 89th pitch.
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Rasmussen → leave → pitch
Tampa Bay still led 4-3 when Rasmussen left the game, but the Rays made too many mistakes to stay in front.
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Rays → lead → front
Liam Hicks got thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on Victor Mesa Jr.’s sixth-inning single to shallow left field.
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Hicks → throw → field
Rays reliever Ian Seymour allowed Milwaukee to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth on a solo shot by Sal Frelick, whose last regular-season homer had come on July 11.
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homer → allow → July
Yandy Díaz, who has gone 0 for 9 the last two games, ended this one by striking out to strand the potential tying run at third.
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who → go → third
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero screamed in the dugout after Milwaukee had rallied to tie the game.
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Milwaukee → scream → game
“Just trying to create some energy and get some life back into us,” Caminero said through an interpreter.
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Caminero → try → interpreter
The Rays still have some life left in them, but they blew a golden opportunity to even this series with a four-run lead and their ace on the mound.
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they → have → mound
They understand what’s at stake as the series heads to Tampa Bay.
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series → understand → Bay
“Obviously, we’re excited to head back home,” said Rasmussen, who went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA during the regular season.
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who → ’re → season
“I mean, it would be really nice to have won today.
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it → mean → ?
Our offense, I would say they’re pretty confident when they spot our pitching staff a four-run lead, that we’re going to go ahead and get the job done.”
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job → say → lead
The Aporia
