The Milwaukee Brewers try to push the Tampa Bay Rays to the brink of elimination when the World Series shifts to Tropicana Field on Monday, Oct. 26. Milwaukee holds a 2-0 series lead after a pair of one-run wins in Milwaukee, and Game 3 brings the series back to St. Petersburg, Florida for the first time this October.
First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET, with Robert Gasser and Freddy Peralta both projected to take the mound. The biggest question heading into the night is whether the Rays can find any offense against a Brewers pitching staff that has allowed just two runs a start in this series.
World Series Game 3 Information
- Date: Monday, Oct. 26
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
- TV/Streaming: Fox, ERADM
- Series: World Series, Game 3 (MIL leads series 2-0)
- Weather: 76 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation
Can The Rays Snap Their Offensive Slump?
Tampa Bay has lost back-to-back games by a single run, falling 3-2 and 5-4 in Milwaukee, and the Rays enter Game 3 having dropped their last game played before that stretch as well, going 2-3 over their last five overall. The lineup has scored four or fewer runs in both World Series games so far. Junior Caminero leads the Rays with 42 home runs and 101 RBIs on the season, and Chandler Simpson paces the club with a .306 batting average, but neither has produced a signature moment yet in the series.
Tampa Bay’s season-long numbers show a team built more on pitching and defense than raw offense. The Rays own a .230 team batting average and a .640 OPS for the postseason stretch tracked in the official stats, with 81 hits in 352 at-bats. Getting back to Tropicana Field, where the Rays posted a 98-64 regular-season record, gives the lineup a chance to find rhythm in a familiar ballpark.
Who Starts On The Mound For Each Side?
Robert Gasser is projected to start for Milwaukee and has not allowed an earned run of consequence in the sample tracked, posting a 1.00 ERA without a decision yet logged in the series. Freddy Peralta is projected as Tampa Bay’s starter, carrying a 2-0 record and a 1.08 ERA. Both pitchers have been difficult to hit so far this postseason, and the Rays will need Peralta to turn in another strong outing just to keep pace with a Brewers offense that has found timely hits all series.
What Does The Injury Picture Look Like?
The Rays are without left fielder Gavin Lux, who remains on the 60-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation and had a return date listed as Oct. 23. Outfielder Jacob Melton (right hamstring strain) and relievers Edwin Uceta (right shoulder strain) and Jonathan Heasley (right elbow fracture) are also out for the season, along with starter Shane McClanahan, who is dealing with left forearm soreness and is not expected back until February 2027.
Milwaukee is also managing a thin pitching staff beyond its World Series rotation. Starter Quinn Priester remains out following right shoulder surgery, and relievers Angel Zerpa and Brian Fitzpatrick are both out following left elbow surgeries, with return timelines extending into the middle of next season.
Milwaukee Brewers Outlook
Milwaukee arrives at 103-59 on the season and finished atop the National League Central by 14 games over the Chicago Cubs, according to the official standings. The Brewers are riding a five-game winning streak and have outscored opponents while posting a 2.12 team ERA and a .533 opponent OPS, numbers that explain how a 103-win club has suffocated opposing lineups through the postseason. Jackson Chourio leads Milwaukee with a .291 average, Jake Bauers has 26 home runs and Brice Turang’s 100 RBIs and team-high 557.8 MLB rating have made him the engine of the offense. The bullpen has been nearly unhittable, with the pitching staff posting a .191 opponent batting average across the stretch tracked in the official data.
Tampa Bay Rays Outlook
Tampa Bay finished the regular season 98-64, good for first place in the American League East, 4.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees. The Rays won the ALCS by beating the Cleveland Guardians in three straight games before dropping the first two World Series contests in Milwaukee, a stretch that has them on a one-game losing streak entering Game 3. Caminero’s 630.8 MLB rating leads all regulars in the series, and his power remains Tampa Bay’s clearest path to turning the series around. The pitching staff has still managed a 2.91 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 96 innings in the tracked sample, indicating the arms have kept games close even as the lineup has struggled to finish them.
Key Matchup: Brewers Bullpen Against Caminero And The Rays Lineup
Milwaukee’s pitching staff has held the Rays to one and two runs, respectively, across the first two games, and the numbers back up the eye test. The Brewers own a 2.12 team ERA and have allowed an opponent slugging percentage of .258, both figures better than Tampa Bay’s pitching marks. Caminero represents the Rays’ best counterpunch with 42 home runs on the year, and how Milwaukee’s bullpen handles him in high-leverage spots at Tropicana Field could determine whether Tampa Bay’s bats finally break through or the Brewers push the series to the brink.
Players To Watch
Brice Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Turang leads the Brewers with 100 RBIs and a team-best 557.8 MLB rating, and his production in the middle of the order has powered Milwaukee’s run through the postseason.
Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
Caminero’s 42 home runs and 101 RBIs lead the Rays, and his 630.8 MLB rating is the highest of any player in the series. Tampa Bay’s offense has largely run through him all season.
Freddy Peralta, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Peralta is projected to start Game 3 carrying a 1.08 ERA and a 2-0 record, and the Rays need another strong outing from him to keep the series from slipping further away.
What To Watch
No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a World Series, and a Brewers win Monday would put Tampa Bay in that position. The Rays return to Tropicana Field for the first time this series, giving them a home-field change of scenery after consecutive one-run losses in Milwaukee. Game 4 of the series is scheduled to follow at the same venue, with the Rays needing a response from their lineup to extend the World Series beyond Game 3.
For more on how the series has unfolded, see the Game 2 preview with confirmed lineups and the Game 1 preview from earlier in the series. Background on Milwaukee’s run to the Fall Classic is available in the piece on the Brewers’ low-payroll World Series berth, and more on the ballpark setup is covered in the report on roof conditions looming over the matchup.
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