Rays Cut Deficit to 3-1 After 12-Inning Win

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash deployed seven pitchers on Tuesday to secure a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in 12 innings of Game 4. The win trimmed the series deficit to 3-1 and forces a deciding Game 5 on Wednesday. In the process, Cash depleted a thin roster, creating immediate questions about who can throw for the Rays in the next matchup.

Nick Martinez, originally scheduled to start Game 5, threw two scoreless relief innings on 33 pitches. Starter Griffin Jax used 74 pitches and is likely unavailable. The remaining rotation options include Cole Sulser, Steven Matz, and Garrett Cleavinger, none of whom pitched on Tuesday. Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly sat out the Game 3 loss and are presumed available. Ian Seymour threw 32 pitches on Tuesday, which may rule him out. Tyler Wells and Cameron Booser have each worked two consecutive days. Drew Rasmussen has three days of rest but has never made a short-rest start in his career.

Milwaukee faces less uncertainty. Jacob Misiorowski, the 24-year-old National League Cy Young favorite, will make his fourth postseason start. In Game 1, he threw five innings, allowed one run, and recorded the win. That outing followed 11 days of rest. He will work on standard four days of rest for Game 5. Misiorowski is also nearing career-high workload territory, and it remains unclear if his sharpness from Game 1 will return. The Brewers may need length from him because their bullpen worked hard in Game 4.

The third issue involves Tampa Bay's best hitter, Junior Caminero. The 23-year-old left Game 4 in the 12th inning with a left foot injury after reaching base on a throwing error by Joey Ortiz. Cash was emphatic about his availability. "He'll play tomorrow on one leg," the manager said. "I'll make sure of it."

Caminero's effectiveness is an open issue. He holds a .717 OPS in the playoffs but has hit only one home run in 48 at-bats. In the regular season, he hit 42 home runs, one every 14.7 at-bats. The Rays may need his usual power to send the series back to Milwaukee.

The win improved the Rays' long-shot hopes. In MLB postseason history, 42 teams have trailed 3-0, and only the 2004 Boston Red Sox won. That rate is about 2.4%. Of 96 teams that have fallen behind 3-1, 14 have rallied to win, putting the Rays' chances at 14.6%. Teams down 3-1 are 50-50 in Game 5.