Will the Tampa Bay Rays learn from the mistakes of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series? Probably not, but here’s to hoping.

The Dodgers got to Brewer ace Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series by being patient and driving up the pitch count. The videos on MLB.com don’t show that, of course. But, it’s true and Tampa Bay can do the same exact thing. In fact, they’re built for it. They led the majors in contact and were last in strikeouts. The problem was the Dodgers couldn’t touch the Brewers’ outstanding bullpen and the Dodgers did not use their starters effectively. The bullpen wasn’t good enough to keep Milwaukee hitters at bay. Considering how good Los Angeles’ pitching staff was, that’s saying something.

In fact, no one has kept Milwaukee’s hitters at bay. They lead all playoff teams in batting average and home runs. But, Tampa Bay has more extra base hits. Doubles are cool, too, as it turns out. For the small ball crowd, they’re going to enjoy this series. The Rays and Brewers are 1-2 in stolen bases.

One thing the Rays haven’t done this postseason is walk… either at the plate or …batters on the other team. The Rays’ 2.59 ERA and a 7-2 postseason run is impressive. But, the Brewers lost just a single game in the postseason. An earned-run average of 2.03 will put you in a position to win pretty much every time.

Being able to score runs in crucial situations is what won the ALCS for the Rays and the NLCS for the Brewers. Though they both have 32 RBIs, Milwaukee had that in eight games, while Tampa needed nine.

For the Rays, second basemen Richie Palacios, first baseman Jonathan Aranda, and third baseman Junior Caminero all came through at various times during the League Championship Series. Amanda and Caminaro lead the team in hits. But, what scares Milwaukee most is designated hitter Yandy Díaz. Díaz mashed two homers against Cleveland while leading the team in hitting.

Nick Martinez, Freddy Peralta, and Drew Rasmussen will try to carry the brunt of the pitching for Tampa Bay. Rasmussen has been outstanding (1.29 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 21 innings.). Peralta’s ERA of 1.08 is somewhat misleading. The bullpen saved him in Game 7, much like Milwaukee’s savve Misiorowski in Game 1.

For Milwaukee, catcher Willson Contreras leads the way with a .457 on-base percentage. He also kept San Diego’s and Los Angeles’ running game at bay. Jake Bauers was the NLCS Most Valuable Player and has been the guy driving in runs. Bauers’ ability to put long at-bats together was key to Milwaukee pressuring the Dodgers’ staff until they broke. It was impressive to watch.

While Misiorowski has received all the media attention, it’s Robert Gasser and Logan Henderson who provided starts of equal quality, though they were not as good as Tampa Bay’s. Aaron Ashby did not give up a run in relief. Expect to see a ton of him.

Forecast: This should be a fun series with two very similar teams. Expect the Brewers to do everything just a little bit better. Regardless, a team that has never won a World Series will be holding a trophy Halloween night. That team should be the Milwaukee Brewers.

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