Henderson's short outings put the Brewers bullpen in the spotlight again. Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill covered the last 4 innings of Game 1 and allowed 1 run. The 9th got loud: Megill loaded the bases and only got out of it after a replay review. That bullpen came into the series rested and pitched like it. If Henderson is out early again, the same arms are going back out the next night.
Milwaukee's run has been close to perfect. The Brewers won their last 4 against the Dodgers and have now won 5 straight, mostly in low-scoring games: 2-1, 3-2 and a couple of 6-run nights. Jackson Chourio is hitting .205 this postseason, but he drove in the 7th-inning run that ended up deciding Game 1, and MLB.com points to his walk-off single off Padres closer Mason Miller as the kind of hit he keeps getting. Christian Yelich and William Contreras drove in the 2 runs in the 1st. Tampa Bay won 3 of its 4 against Cleveland in its last 5 before this series and out-hit Milwaukee's bullpen late in Game 1. It still came up 1 run short on 7 hits.
Tampa Bay's injury list gets thin where it hurts most. Shane McClanahan is out for the rest of the postseason with a forearm injury, and Ryan Pepiot has been out since hip surgery in May. That's how a rotation ends up asking Martinez to start a World Series opener. Milwaukee's list is mostly arms that have been gone for months: Brian Fitzpatrick, Quinn Priester and Angel Zerpa. None of them were part of the October plan.
First pitch is 7:00 PM CT. The Rays, a 98-win team, need a win to head home tied at 1. The 103-win Brewers can put Tampa Bay in a 2-0 hole with their rookie on the mound. On paper, Tampa Bay has the better starter. The question is whether the Rays can get to the 6th inning without falling behind again.