I slip away to Texas for a week and this is what happens? The best possible outcome for a World Series matchup? Friends of the Comic Book Clique, I'm back, you're back, it's the MLB Weekly Report!
Admittedly, I’ve got a bit of vacation brain and didn’t do any Immaculate Grids and to be honest with the World Series upon us, I do want to jump right in but I cannot skip over either Championship Series.
I was away from my home but this doesn't mean I missed a beat of the ALCS and NLCS. Although, Brewers vs. Dodgers was as “blink and you'll miss it” as a series can be. I'm still reeling from the sweep of the Dodgers, in a good way. I knew the Brewers were damn good but I didn't expect Goliath to go down so easy. If I had predicted the NLCS, I'd have gone with the Dodgers in seven. I'd delightfully be eating all of my words.
Milwaukee Brewers posing for their team photo after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Brewers were and are the better team. They trounced the two times reigning champions in every fashion. Timely hitting from NLCS MVP, Jake Bauers, huge contributions from William Contreras with table setters David Hamilton and Brice Turang scoring 11 of the Brewers 21 runs in the series. It seemed that every time the Dodgers scored, the Brewers weren’t too far behind with a response. Hard to believe it but the Dodgers did have a lead in every game of the series but that response from the Brewers was swift and often. Even in Game 4, when Shohei Ohtani launched a three run homerun, with gusto (link), to put a four spot on the board in the second inning, by the end of the sixth, the Brew Crew had rallied to take the lead and would not relinquish it.
The biggest X factor in this series, maybe even the entire postseason, might be the Brewers bullpen. Just like in the NLDS, the bullpen won every game. Remove Dustin May from the equation, and the numbers are astounding: 17 ⅔ innings, 7 hits, 2 earned runs and 20 strikeouts. Basically, they pitched two complete games and gave up one run in each and struck out ten. If a starter did this in the playoffs, it would be the stuff of legends. The contingency of Aaron Ashby, Jojo Romero, DL Hall, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill has been nothing short of dominant and leaves me wondering, do the likes of Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson and Robert Gasser even need to pitch into the fifth? With four more wins needed to complete the goal and win the World Series, the answer is yes. But with a bullpen that is this “lights out”, manager Pat Murphy may have to consider taxing this core.
What does this, quite frankly, embarrassing sweep mean for the evil empire, Los Angeles Dodgers? I’ll go in depth on this in the offseason, but to put it briefly, they looked old, beaten and outmatched. The bats of Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez disappeared and that cannot happen. Ohtani provided more production in one swing than any other player did the entire series. The hardware-laden rotation pitched to a 6.50 ERA and patchwork bullpen didn’t do much better. For fans of the other 29 teams in the league, it feels like justice has been served and that the team with all of the answers now has many questions going into the offseason.
Tampa Bay Rays celebrating their ALCS win at home. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Over in the American League, I didn't expect such resilience out of the 84 win team from Cleveland, that had to win three straight against the Chicago White Sox to even get to the ALCS. Even with believing that Cleveland underperformed in the regular season, dealing with an injury-riddled season for Jose Ramirez, I had the Rays taking the Guardians down in five. It happened in six, but those first three games of the ALCS were close and there’s a universe where Cleveland goes up 3-0.
Instead, the Rays were down 2-1 in the series before proving they are the cream of the crop in the AL the rest of the way. The three-headed dragon of Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen and, ALCS MVP, Freddy Peralta, gave up a combined three runs in games 4, 5 and 6. The offense popped off for 17 runs, mostly from the usual suspects: Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz but also from the seemingly always on base, Richie Palacios and Chandler Simpson. Although not Brewers-esque, the late inning options in Cam Booser and closer, Bryan Baker, did come up big when they needed to. But, like the Brewers, the Rays will come into the World Series with a multiple game winning streak.
For Cleveland, I said they underperformed in the regular season and I’d also argue they overperformed in the postseason. They took advantage of a weak American League and found themselves in the Championship Series above teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, both who had better regular season records. Fueled almost entirely by starters Gavin Williams and, rookie, Parker Messick, it’s clear what this team lacks: offensive firepower. Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana provided really solid rookie years, especially the former, and a healthy Jose Ramirez can cover some blind spots but in truth, this team is one bat or two away from being serious.
(Photo by MLB)
Alas, it’s all come down to this. The Milwaukee Brewers vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. Exactly how you drew it up, no? Even if it wasn’t, these are the two best teams in baseball this year and that is exactly what the World Series should be. No less that one of these teams will be winning their first championship - it’s top tier sports drama.
For the Rays, it will be their third time participating in the Fall Classic, coming up short in 2008 to the Philadelphia Phillies and again in the shortened season of 2020 to the Dodgers. I was rooting for them both times, against Mets rivals in the former and baseball’s rivals in the latter. It’s hard to forget what the late 90s, early oughts Devil Rays looked like and it feels like such an achievement to see them in the World Series again, even if they’ve shaken off that stench. I believe they have a better chance this year to win it all this year than any other year previous, even if their opponent is as stingy as it gets.
Out in Milwaukee, it’s been 44 years since the Brewers were in the World Series. So long that they were an American League team at the time. I could depress you with the usual “this was how much X cost the last time the Brewers were in the World Series” but I think the number of years is already enough to depress you. It’s almost rare that the Brewers make it to the NLCS, with this being the fourth year since 1982 that they did. In 2011, they lost to the eventual World Series winner in the St. Louis Cardinals and then lost twice to the Dodgers in 2018 and 2025 before exacting their sweet revenge this year.
It won’t be the first time these two teams meet this year with an extremely early regular season series at the end of March into April where the Brewers took two out of three at home. And while there isn’t much applicable from that series to use here, Game 1 starter for the Rays, Nick Martinez, did pick up the sole win in the series and Brewers offense did manage to get off seven and eight runs in their two wins. The Rays are sporting a slightly different team as they have been without Shane McClanahan since (look up date), who pitched in the second game of that regular season series, and midseason acquisitions of starting catcher Liam Hicks and the aforementioned ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta have them more prepared for the seven game series coming up.
There wasn’t much, if any bad blood in their regular season matchup this season but I’d be lying if I said there was no bad blood:
Abner Uribe is sure to get plenty of innings and thus the Rays chances to get some redemption.
As far as matchups go, these two teams seem fairly split but let’s break it down by offense, starting pitching, bullpen, managers and who has the better clutch performers:
Offense: Advantage Rays
I’ll preface by saying, most of these categories are close, almost to the point of splitting hairs. The Brewers offense has been really good and I may be about to help make the argument why the Brewers should have the advantage. Jake Bauers continues to find ways to get on base at elite rates, .441 of the time to be exact, and with his NLCS performance, is also being productive with runners on. Jackson Churio slowed down after driving in six runs during the NLDS to just drive in one against the Dodgers but the lights are about to be brighter and I believe he’ll show up. William Contreras leads the team in homeruns for the postseason wuth three, showing up a big moments for both series. If Brice Turang and David Hamilton can continue to get on for that trio of bats behind them, I could see it being advantage Brewers.
However, Tampa has Junior Caminero, who I believe to be the best hitter on either team, especially when he’s on. After being a non-factor in the ALDS against the Yankees, Caminero showed up in the ALCS with energy, four RBIs and a homerun in Game 6 that turned out to be the first dagger in the Guardians. Yandy Diaz has also turned it on after a slow ALDS, matching Caminero’s output with four RBIs plus an additional homerun, coming the inning after Caminero’s, providing the second and final dagger. Jonathan Aranda has been pretty consistent throughout the playoffs, supplying the Rays with the most RBIs this postseason and Chandler Simpson has been the sparkplug he’s proven to be all season, keeping opposing pitchers and defenses on their toes when he’s at the plate.
Truly, I could go back and forth on who has the advantage here, but so long as Caminero, Diaz and Aranda are being productive, this is a slight edge to Tampa.
Starting Pitching: Advantage Rays
Despite the obvious talent the Brewers are sporting, outside of Robert Gasser, the other two studs in the rotation haven’t been without their blemishes. Jacob Misiorowski hasn’t made it out of the fifth inning in either of his postseason starts and Logan Henderson had a good showing in the NLDS against the Padres, also could not get out of the fifth inning in his NLCS start.
It couldn’t be more different on the Rays side. Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta are carving out a piece of lore this October. For the former, in 21 innings, he’s given up 3 runs and struck out 23. Peralta has been almost as good, only allowing two runs over 16 2/3 innings. I don’t want to sound like the old man yelling at clouds here but this is how great starting pitching used to look like in the postseason.
The Rays will be throwing Nick Martinez out for Game 1 of the World Series, who had a much better ALCS start than ALDS, as the unshakable veteran they’ll need to anchor the beginning of this series. Combatting him will be The Miz, who surprisingly isn’t the youngest game 1 starter in the World Series, despite looking the part. The talent is obviously there but the lights may just be too bright for me to pick Misiorowski over Martinez.
In game 2, the Rays will throw out 1A Drew Rasmussen against Logan Henderson and right now, I don’t think I can pick any pitcher over Rasmussen.
Bullpen: Advantage Brewers
A definitive advantage the Brewers have over the Rays; That bullpen. The Rays don’t even have a bad bullpen. Cam Booser and Bryan Baker haven’t given up a run in their collective 11 and 2/3 innings this postseason. It’s the options behind them, Kevin Kelly, Ian Seymour and God forbid Kevin Cash give the ball to Tyler Wells and/or Cole Sulser. Kelly and Seymour have been fine, a couple of mistakes have kept them from being as shutdown as Booser and Baker have been but, it’s the World Series. Every mistake is a win or lose situation.
That’s why the Brewers have the advantage here. They’re not just two deep, they go five deep, often bailing out their starters. I gave you the stats earlier, so I won’t bore you with them again but, on top of chasing that elusive championship, a bit of history is also in play. This bullpen has won every game for the Brewers this postseason and should this trend continue and they reach the promised land, they’d be the first to ever accomplish that feat.
Managers: Advantage Brewers
This is another close one. Kevin Cash is in his 12th season managing the Tampa Bay Rays, with Manager of the Year honors twice and now, his second World Series with this organization, he’s far and away the best manager the Rays have had in their short history. He manages a tight game, even tighter when the calendar strikes October. He doesn’t always ride with his starter, no matter how dominant they’re pitching – just ask Blake Snell (link). The eyes of the baseball world will all be looking to see if that trend continues with what I think is the Rays clearest advantage.
Pat Murphy, not just on the basis of being the most likeable manager in baseball, may have the advantage here just because he’s never managed in a World Series before. He hasn't made the same mistakes in the limelight that a Kevin Cash has, nothing to dissect. So far, he's done a good job in knowing when to pull his starters and bring in that S-tier bullpen. My only concern is seeing how far he'll go with this bullpen and how much he'll ask of them in these games that matter the most. And really, that is it. He manages the lineup well, knowing when to even bench his captain, to the point that it's a not a talking point. For both teams, this will come down to the pitching and the puzzle they have to put together to make The Commissioner's Trophy picture appear.
The X Factors: Even
Ok, so having five categories builds the drama and allows me to make this as even as possible! Truth is, I do believe it's that even.
The Brewers have the pieces to make this series very uncomfortable for the Rays. Even if their starters just go five innings, if they can manage to mitigate the Rays offense before passing the baton to the unhittable bullpen, this could be a faster series than any baseball fan would want or hope. If Chourio bounces back to his NLDS form and Bauers keeps his NLCS form, the melding of that could spell disaster for the Rays as well. The Brewers are pesky, they don't rely on home run threats, really neither team does but the Brewers build their offense on contact and speed and then boom, the big hit arrives.
The Rays also want some ALCS forms to stay, particularly for Caminero and Diaz and that their stellar starting pitching continues through the World Series. The longer the series goes, the more it benefits the Rays. If the rotation goes two times through, as they did in the ALCS, I don’t see the Brewers outlasting the Rays.
Final Prediction: Rays in seven
Barring unforeseen performances from unlikely heroes, a staple of the World Series, I do think the Rays will be getting past the Brewers, in seven. If the Brewers starting pitching can match what the Rays will do, it makes the outcome more interesting and may lead to the Brewers in seven. It’s that close.
Your How can you not be romantic about Baseball moment comes from Milwaukee. I love watching fans react to their team making it to the World Series, especially if it’s been a while or, in this fan’s case, the first time in his life: