World Series Game 4 Live: Rays Lead Brewers 1-0 Through Three Innings on Simpson's RBI Double
Tampa Bay, playing to keep its season alive, struck first in the second inning at Tropicana Field. Milwaukee, one win from its first championship, has six innings to answer. This is a live file - the final follows the last out tonight.
ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays are not going quietly. Chandler Simpson doubled to the right-field corner in the bottom of the second inning to score Jonny DeLuca from first base, and Tampa Bay led the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 through three innings of World Series Game 4 at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night - with Milwaukee one win from a four-game sweep and the first title in franchise history, and the Rays playing to keep their season alive. Liam Hicks had led off the second with a single to center and was erased on DeLuca's fielder's choice, which put the faster runner aboard for Simpson's double. Dustin May limited the damage, getting Ryan Vilade to ground out to second and striking out Richie Palacios to end the inning.
Both starters have been sharp. Griffin Jax, starting the elimination game for Tampa Bay, has thrown three scoreless innings - one hit, two walks, four strikeouts - though his first inning was an escape: he walked Christian Yelich, who stole second and moved to third on catcher Liam Hicks' throwing error, then walked William Contreras before Brice Turang missed an RBI double by inches and grounded out to short to end the threat. Jax followed with a 1-2-3 second. May, starting for Milwaukee, breezed through the first on 11 pitches, retiring Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero in order, and his line through three is one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
The early run cuts both ways statistically: teams that score first are 25-13 this postseason, but Milwaukee is 6-1 in these playoffs when giving up the first run - and the Brewers have won eight straight postseason games, outscoring Tampa Bay 18-7 across the first three games of this Series. If the Rays hold on, Game 5 is Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. If the Brewers come back, the champagne opens tonight. Space City Daily will file the Game 4 final within 45 minutes of the last out.
