Brewers look to Jacob Misiorowski for Series swing after Game 4 blunders put them down to Rays in World Series

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

A pair of costly defensive plays doomed the Milwaukee Brewers when they were three outs from the World Series in Game 4, and the Tampa Bay Rays erased that advantage with a two-run rally and a walkoff win to force Wednesday’s Game 5. The Rays beat the Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Milwaukee maintained its lead in the series, 3 games to 1.

The decisive sequence began in the top of the 12th when Tampa Bay scored the go-ahead run after rookie Cooper Pratt hit a home run, shifting the game in the Rays’ direction late. In the bottom of the 12th, Milwaukee’s troubles continued when Joey Ortiz, a mid-game defensive replacement, committed a throwing error off Junior Caminero’s lead-off grounder. The mistake served as the springboard for Tampa Bay’s two-run rally that set up the Rays’ winning margin.

Milwaukee’s clubhouse response emphasized accountability without distraction. Jake Bauers, who was on the other end of the play that sent Game 4 “spiraling in the wrong direction,” spoke with Ortiz immediately after the loss, telling him, “My bad,” before both players moved on with the focus of playing again on Wednesday. Bauers said, “Just keep going. Show up tomorrow and play a baseball game.”

Manager Pat Murphy explained that Jacob Misiorowski would not be used in relief during Game 4, even after the Brewers’ late-inning situation grew delicate. Murphy said the circumstances were not right to risk using him and potentially losing the opportunity to start him on four days’ rest in the event the series went to Game 5. The decision matters because the Brewers now head into Game 5 with Misiorowski scheduled to start as their ace.

Misiorowski had been available in the bullpen for the final innings of Game 4, but the Brewers carried that responsibility with other arms. Murphy said the plan was deliberate, adding that, “You can't blow that type of situation on a one-run lead on the road.” He indicated that the calculus might have changed only under a different score profile late in extra innings, telling reporters, “If we were in the 13th inning and we had a three-run lead, that might have been a little bit different. Probably still wouldn't have.”

Ortiz addressed the specific error that sparked the bottom-of-the-12th rally, acknowledging he “should make that play every [bleeping] time.” Brewers third-base coach and infield coordinator Matt Erickson backed up the importance of the play, saying, “There's not a person on the field I want the ball hit to more than him.” The error was not the only third-base-related miscue credited to Milwaukee during the night.

Earlier in the game, the Brewers also suffered a defensive breakdown in the fourth inning involving Hamilton on a tag attempt. With Caminero trying to advance from second to third on a bouncer, Hamilton missed the tag, and Milwaukee believed Caminero had left the baseline; the call did not go their way. The misplay and subsequent throwing sequence allowed Caminero to score a run that proved a backbreaker in the final outcome.

The late-game margin ultimately came down to the Rays’ ability to manufacture offense after Milwaukee’s defensive lapse. The source described that Ortiz’s misplay put Shane Drohan—making his World Series debut—into a situation where he inherited a runner and could not record an out. Tampa Bay then strung together four consecutive singles and won the game on Ben Williamson’s pinch-hit single to shallow right field.

Despite the loss, Milwaukee’s hitting produced frequent hard contact during Game 4, a factor that will matter as the teams prepare to adjust for another close, high-leverage matchup. The Brewers “accounted for 12 of the 13 hardest-hit balls of the night” but managed only three runs, leaving them three outs away from taking a commanding clinching position. The Rays ended that threat with a combination of late contact and defensive execution.

Misiorowski’s Game 5 assignment sets a clear stakes framework for Milwaukee. After pitching in Game 4’s bullpen, the 24-year-old is slated to start on Wednesday, a turn that Murphy protected earlier in the postseason decision-making process. The source described Misiorowski as a “presumptive National League Cy Young Award winner,” and detailed that he has been effective this postseason, posting a 2.70 ERA across his three Game 1 starts against the Padres, Dodgers and Rays. It also noted that he allowed one run on four hits in five innings of World Series Game 1.

The Brewers’ starting pitcher workload is also part of the calculus. The source reported Misiorowski’s season and postseason workload at 188 innings so far, and it framed his Game 5 rest as notable because it follows four days off. It stated that his Game 5 outing will mark only the seventh time in his two-year career that he starts on four days’ rest, and that his previous four-days-rest starts include a 2.03 ERA during his first 44 regular-season starts. All three of his postseason starts, the source added, came with at least five days of rest.

Misiorowski acknowledged the rhythm shift in his own words, saying, “It’s nothing new,” and describing that he previously handled shorter, frequent starts in the Minor Leagues by saying, “I’m used to it in the Minor Leagues going Tuesday-Sunday, so this isn’t a new phenomenon.”

Milwaukee’s immediate task is to reset after a loss that forced extra innings and erased a near-clinching moment, while Tampa Bay keeps its season alive with another win. Christian Yelich said the group’s focus is on meeting difficulty as part of postseason baseball, telling reporters, “We would have loved to get it done tonight, but it’s not a surprise that you have to dig deep and find a way to get it done.” With Misiorowski set to pitch Game 5 and Milwaukee still leading the series 3-1, the next result will determine whether the Brewers can turn defensive redemption into the World Series title they were nearly moments away from taking on Tuesday.