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These Milwaukee Brewers are two games from immortality in World Series

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers were doing everything in their power Saturday night, no matter how much they were asked by the horde of media in their clubhouse, not to think about it.

They were certainly not saying anything about it.

But, my God, after their latest miraculous comeback, winning 5-4 over the Tampa Bay Rays at frenzied American Family Field, how can they not start dreaming?

They are up 2 games to 0 over the Rays, halfway to their first World Series championship in franchise history.

“Your brain really wants to go there, but you can’t let it," said Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, their longest-tenured player, who has been with the organization since 2014. “You know what I mean? It’s like Kobe Bryant used to say, 'The job is not finished.’ We still got a lot of baseball lot to play.

“But come on, we’re human, how can you not think about it?"

Really, it’s impossible for anyone in the entire state of Wisconsin after what we're witnessing these days.

It happened again Saturday. They were down 4-0 just five batters in the game. They were facing the hottest pitcher in baseball in Drew Rasmussen. And yet, somehow, some way, they’re sitting in their clubhouse, almost laughing that everyone is completely shocked but themselves by what they’re accomplishing.

It sounds completely absurd, but the Brewers have now had seven postseason victories in which they trailed by a combined score of 20-5, only to shut out the opposition the rest of the way by a combined score of 28-0.

Not a single run.

And now, for the second time in their last three postseason games, the Brewers overcame a 4-0 deficit to win, outscoring the Dodgers and Rays, 11-0 in those games.

What in the world is the win probability of that?

“I never look at that," Brewers third baseman David Hamilton said. “I feel like our win probability is 100% every game. I always feel like we’re going to win the game somehow, someway, and we keep doing it."

Cooper Pratt celebrates his go-ahead single in the seventh inning of Game 2.

They way the Brewers look at it, they’ve done it all year, so why stop now?

“I think for us," Brewers second baseman Brice Turang said, “we want to win so badly that it’s never a shock when we win. That’s why we’re here, believing we can win every game, no matter what."

The Brewers became the first team in postseason history to win seven of their first eight games that they’ve trailed.

Is it a miracle?

“No, I just see the Brewers,’’ Woodruff said. “I’ve seen it all year. That’s why we had 103 wins."

Still, it’s almost impossible to explain what’s happening right now in America’s heartland..

The Brewers bullpen is unconscious, yielding a 1.24 ERA this postseason.

Reliever Aaron Ashby has not permitted a run in 15 ⅔ innings, and is the first pitcher in postseason history to get at least five outs in six consecutive appearances without allowing a run.

“He’s a stud, an absolute stud," Woodruff said, “who’s just excelling at the right time."

And outfielder Sal Frelick, who had not hit a home run off a left-handed pitcher since opening day, hits a 403-foot homer over the center-field fence off lefty Ian Seymour to tie the game in the sixth inning, with 43,245 fans at American Family Field screaming so loud that you can hear it in Green Bay.

“I had this weird feeling he was going to do it right there," Woodruff said. “That dude right there personifies our team and the way we play baseball. He never gives in, and neither do we."

Still, a home run, to center field, off a left-handed pitcher, in a World Series game?

Are you kidding?

“Dude, that was sick," Hamilton said. “I had a feeling something good was going to happen."

Frelick only hit four home runs in the regular season, and 21 in his four-year career.

“I’ve never seen him hit a dead-center homer even in BP," Brewers said baseman Jake Bauers said. “I can't be happier for the guy. He deserves that moment. Just talking about it, it’s going to make me cry man.’’

So, has he really never hit a homer to dead center, even in batting practice?

“I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt," said Brewers hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach: “I think he’s done it. He’s got a little manpower. But it was impressive."

Said Turang: "He’s stronger than people think he is. He’s strong. I think it was everyone’s favorite swing of the season."

If Frelick had done it before, he certainly didn’t realize it was happening this night, running so fast during his home-run trot that he crossed home in just 22 seconds, almost half the time it took Rays third baseman Junior Caminero during his last homer.

“It was sort of this blackout feeling," said Frelick, who actually faced Seymour in college when he played at Boston College with Seymour at Virginia Tech.

Did he think it was gone?

“I've never hit a homer that I thought was gone," said Frelick, “So, no, I didn't.’’

When reminded that it was not only the Brewers’ first home run of the postseason, but the first time their mascot, Bernie Brewer, was able to slide down the chalet in front of the home crowd in World Series history, Frelick was almost speechless.

“No way,’’ he said. “Is that true?"

Yep.

“Wow, that's really cool," Frelick said. “I only made him go down four times this whole year. Cool stat there."

Really, everything the Brewers are doing these days is pretty darn cool, epitomizing a relentlessness that no analytic spreadsheet can define.

Every time you want to count them out, they’re back.

They’re down one minute, and back atop the next.

They have now knocked off three Cy Young winners this postseason with Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Robbie Ray, World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and now Rasmussen, who had been unbeatable since August. He yielded a 1.05 ERA in September and a 1.29 ERA in October. He lasted just 3 ⅔ innings, his shortest outing since July 9 against the Yankees.

“Our offense is built to kind of chip away and wear on pitchers," Frelick said, “which I think can be good when you're trying to come back. …I think just having an offense built like that is really good for when you're down. Today, we go down four, we know how good that guy is over there, let's just wear on him, see if we can get him out of the game, get to their bullpen and really break the thing open."

Mission accomplished. Once again.

“We’ve been though this before,’’ Woodruff said. “There’s no panic, you know what I mean. We know we’re  going to score runs. And we know we’re going to grind out at-bats. And we know the pitchers are going to put a stop to it.’’

Said Brewers manager Pat Murphy: “Guys, they don't give up. They believe, and they don't give up. They just keep going."

Just ask the Rays about it, whose heads are spinning after these two games.

“They grind every AB, every pitch," Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson said. “They’ve got a lot of fight. They scrap away all nine innings."

Said Rays reliever Liam Hicks: “They don’t give in. They foul off a ton of pitches. They’re not going to chase us out of the zone so you got to stay in the zone. They’re going to spoil pitches until they get theirs. Credit to their hitters. Tough lineup.’’

And perhaps an unbeatable team that may not be stopped until the World Series parade in downtown Milwaukee.

“The confidence we have right now, I’ve never seen anything like it," Bauers said. “Not even close. These guys are relentless, man. We’ve played every single game since he season started just like this one. Relentless. Focused. And nothing more.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: These Milwaukee Brewers are two games from immortality in World Series

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Calgary Flames Take Down Red Wings 4-1 for Third Straight Win

The Calgary Flames extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Wearing their 2004 tribute jerseys, the Flames delivered a performance that fit the occasion, earning their first win over Detroit since 2022 while continuing to build some momentum.

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Calgary opened the scoring late in the first period when Adam Klapka worked the puck out of the corner and found Joel Farabee in front. Farabee made no mistake, one-timing the pass past Detroit goaltender John Gibson to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

Detroit responded early in the second period. Following an offensive-zone faceoff, Andrew Copp found a loose puck in the scramble and swatted it through Devin Cooley’s legs to tie the game at one.

The Flames regained the lead on the power play, with rookie defenceman Zayne Parekh making his mark. Parekh fired a wrist shot from the blue line that found its way past Gibson off a deflection off the goaltender’s pad, giving Calgary a 2-1 advantage with his first goal of the season.

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Ryan Strome extended the lead shortly afterward. Morgan Frost found Strome in the middle of the ice, and the veteran forward snapped a shot past Gibson to make it 3-1.

Calgary wasn’t finished. Late in the second period, Matvei Gridin capped off another successful power play by one-timing a pass from Farabee into the net. The goal gave the Flames a three-goal cushion heading into the third period.

With the special teams delivering and Cooley continuing to find ways to win, Calgary took care of business in the final frame to secure its third consecutive victory.

Three Takeaways

1. The power play delivered when it mattered

Calgary went 2-for-2 with the man advantage, getting goals from two of its young players in Parekh and Gridin. Both goals helped swing the momentum in the Flames’ favour, and the ability to capitalize on special teams continues to be an encouraging sign. If Calgary can consistently get this kind of production from its power play, it will give the team another reliable way to win games.

2. Cooley keeps stacking wins

Devin Cooley picked up his third consecutive victory between the pipes. He wasn’t overly tested against Detroit, but he remained composed and gave the Flames a steady presence in net. Goaltending isn’t always about making highlight-reel saves. Sometimes, it’s about keeping things simple, making the stops you’re supposed to make and allowing the team in front of you to play with confidence. Cooley continues to do that.

3. Farabee leads the offensive charge

Farabee finished with a goal and two assists for a three-point night, providing one of his strongest offensive performances in a Flames uniform. He opened the scoring, set up Gridin’s power-play goal and played a key role in Calgary’s offensive attack. His ability to contribute as both a finisher and a playmaker gives the Flames another valuable option as they look to keep their momentum going.

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Red Wings Burned By Flames, Lose 4-1 In Final Appearance At Scotiabank Saddledome

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This wasn't how the Detroit Red Wings wanted to remember their final trip to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

Coming into the contest with a six-game point streak on the line, the Red Wings saw it come to a close with a 4-1 setback against the Flames, who had lost six of their first seven games of the season. 

With the setback, the Red Wings fell to 4-4-3 on the campaign, and 1-1-1 through the first three games of their four-game Western Conference road swing. 

Special teams did the Red Wings no favors, as they were unable to convert on either of their power play chances, while allowing the Flames to score twice with the man advantage. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

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It was the Flames who struck first late in the opening 20 minutes of play, as Joel Farabee was left wide open at the side of the net and one-timed a feed from Adam Klapka past a sprawling John Gibson, giving Calgary the advantage.

The Red Wings appeared to gain some momentum early in the middle frame when Andrew Copp knotted the score with his second goal of the season, only to lose it when the Flames struck on the power play as Zayne Parekh scored his first goal of 2026-27.

Detroit nearly tied the score shortly afterward when Alex DeBrincat, who took the penalty that lead to Parekh's go-ahead goal, partially broke in alone on Flames goaltender Devin Cooley, but had his backhand attempt denied.

Calgary then took a two-goal lead less than 90 seconds apart; Ryan Strome scored his second of the season, followed by a power play goal from Matvei Gridin with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård in the box for delay of game. 

Gibson took the loss with 21 saves on 25 shots, while Cooley made 28 saves.

The Red Wings will wrap up their road trip with a stop against former head coach Mike Babcock and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday evening at Rogers Place. 

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Brewers erase four-run deficit, take 2-0 World Series lead

MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 24: Sal Frelick #10 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning during Game Two of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, October 24, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Box Score

The 2026 Milwaukee Brewers might have to borrow a 40-year-old slogan from the Goonies: “Never Say Die.“

Tonight, the Brewers were facing Drew Rasmussen, the Tampa Bay ace and the best starting pitcher of the postseason so far. Logan Henderson, who hasn’t been at his best this postseason, suffered through a disastrous first inning. But if there was one thing that the Brewers proved against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, it was that no lead is safe, and this remarkable team will not ever give up. In the parlance of one of the Brewer standouts this evening, the Brewers dragged Rasmussen. The ground out at-bats. They chipped away. Peck, peck, peck. And before it was over, Milwaukee had a couple of new offensive heroes, another huge comeback win, and a 2-0 series lead.

But before all that, it was a nightmare start for the Brewers.

The first batter of the game, Yandy Díaz, worked for seven pitches. The last one, a changeup way below the zone, was hit weakly to shortstop. Cooper Pratt fielded it but rushed the throw, which got by Jake Bauers and into the dugout, putting Díaz at second base. An ominous omen.

Henderson recovered momentarily and struck out Jonathan Aranda for the first out. But Chandler Simpson did Chandler Simpson things, knocking an RBI single into center field, after which he stole second and then scored when Junior Caminero followed with another RBI single. The Rays weren’t finished, though: Liam Hicks got an 0-1 cutter right down the middle and hit it out to right center, the first homer of the series, which made it 4-0 Rays with only one out on the board.

Henderson did retire the next two, but the Brewers would have to dig themselves out of a deep hole on this night. Fortunately, they’re a team that has proved time and time again that they’re a team that brought their shovels to the postseason. They got to work on Rasmussen immediately in the bottom of the first: Jackson Chourio singled, moved to third on a single by Bauers, and then scored when, after a Christian Yelich strikeout, William Contreras came through as he has so many times over the past month with an RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Brice Turang hit into a hard-luck second out when he hit a 109 mph line drive right at Richie Palacios. But Garrett Mitchell kept the pressure on the Rays, and hit a 112 mph single into right that scored Bauers. Pratt struck out to end the inning, but Milwaukee had immediately halved the Rays lead.

A leadoff walk to Victor Mesa Jr. in the second had Henderson on the precipice, but he showed some fight; Taylor Walls bunted, Mesa Jr. over to second but made the first out, and Henderson struck out Díaz and Aranda to get through the inning unscathed. Rasmussen was on his way to a quick inning in the bottom of the second, but Chourio took a hammer to his pitch count when, with two outs, he battled for 11 pitches before hitting a 105 mph groundout. It was a 1-2-3 inning for the Tampa Bay ace, but he had to work hard for it.

Henderson got one more inning and made the most of it, retiring Simpson, Caminero, and Hicks in order. The Brewers were unable to score in the bottom of the inning despite Contreras’s second hit of the game (which pushed his batting average in the postseason over .400). In the top of the fourth, JoJo Romero replaced Henderson and worked around a one-out single to put up another zero.

The Brewers were back on Rasmussen in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Pratt drew a walk, and two pitches later, Sal Frelick lined a solid single into right, putting runners on the corners. David Hamilton, in a possible squeeze situation, eschewed the bunt and swung away, ultimately hitting what should’ve been a routine grounder to first. But Aranda, possibly with an eye on trying to get Pratt at home, booted it, and everyone was safe. The lead was down to one.

The Rays worked out of the inning, but after a Chourio groundout, Rasmussen walked Bauers, which ended his evening. He was replaced by the Rays’ best lefty, Cam Booser, who faced Yelich; another manager may have gone to Andrew Vaughn as a pinch-hitter with the bases full and two out, but Pat Murphy rode with Yelich, who anticlimactically grounded out to second.

The Brewer pitcher in the fifth was Dustin May. With one out, Aranda lined a double into the right-field corner, but May was able to work out of it—Aranda moved to third on a Simpson groundout, but a Pratt made an assured play on a slow Caminero chopper to end the inning and strand the Ray first baseman at third.

Booser worked through the middle of the Brewers’ order in the bottom of the fifth, allowing only a walk to Turang. DL Hall replaced May in the sixth and put himself in a hole when he hit the leadoff batter, Hicks, on the right forearm. He moved over on a sacrifice by Palacios, but Hall got the second out on a strikeout of Johnny DeLuca. Mesa Jr., though, came through with a two-out single to left, but Rays third base coach Brady Williams got extremely aggressive by sending his leadfooted catcher on a single to shallow left; Chourio’s throw was on target, and Hicks was toast at home plate.

The Brewers seized the momentum from getting the final out at home. With lefty Ian Seymor on to face the bottom of the Brewer order, Frelick, of all people, battled for nine pitches, and on the last one he took a 93 mph fastball right over the heart of the plate and hit it out to center field. Tie ballgame.

Milwaukee kept making Seymour work hard. Hamilton fell into a 1-2 count but hit seven foul balls before striking out. Chourio saw eight pitches before he struck out. With two outs, Bauers worked a walk. Yelich, against another lefty, hit a pop-up to shallow left, but it was sort of in no-man’s land between Walls, the shortstop, and Simpson, the left fielder. Some indecision about whose ball it was led to Simpson fielding it awkwardly; he had it in his glove, but he fell down while making the catch and when the glove hit the ground, the ball popped out. Bauers made it to third, while Yelich had a “single.”

With runners on the corners and two out, the Rays needed to pull Seymour, who had thrown 34 pitches and not recored an out. Kevin Cash went to righty Tyler Wells to face Contreras, who was definitely the batter the Brewers wanted up in this situation. The move to Wells worked, though; Contreras grounded out to third to end the inning. Still, for the second time in three games, the Brewers had erased an early 4-0 deficit by the end of the sixth inning.

With the game tied, the Brewers pivoted firmly toward their “A” bullpen, as Abner Uribe entered the game in place of Hall, facing Walls and then, for the second time in two days, the top of the Tampa Bay order. Troublingly, Uribe walked Walls, the worst hitter on the Rays’ roster, to set up the top of the order. Uribe got ahead of Díaz, and the Tampa Bay DH fouled off a bunch of pitches to stay alive, but Uribe finally got him with a slider for the first out. Aranda, who singled off of Uribe on Friday night, grounded out to second, but not until after Walls had stolen second base. With Walls at third and two out, Simpson was up, but he grounded out to first and Uribe’s bad leadoff walk didn’t come back on him.

With Wells still pitching, Turang got a rare at-bat against a right-handed reliever, and smoked the second pitch to the warning track in the right-field gap for a double. Mitchell also hit a ball deep to right but Mesa Jr. made a leaping catch in front of the wall; Turang was able to move to third, though, so it was a productive out. Cash went back to his bullpen and replaced Wells with another righty, Kevin Kelly, with Pratt at the plate.

Pratt delivered with the biggest hit of his young career. A base hit into right scored Turang from third, and the Brewers had flipped a 4-0 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

With Frelick back at the plate, Pratt stole second base, and the Brewers had another runner in scoring position with less than two outs. Frelick very nearly went yard again—he got into one, and the whole ballpark (and your humble scribe) thought he’d gotten his second of the game. But it held up on the warning track and Mesa Jr. made the catch for the second out. Hamilton grounded out, and Pratt was stranded, but not before he’d given the Brewers a late lead.

The Brewers now had a path to the end of the game in which they could avoid facing the top of the Rays order again. With the right-handed Caminero at the plate, Uribe stayed in the game with Aaron Ashby ready in the bullpen. Uribe got Caminero to chase a couple sliders that were way out of the zone, and on the fifth of five straight sliders from the Brewer righty, Caminero rolled over it harmlessly to shortstop for the first out. Ashby then replaced Uribe, and Cash countered by pinch-hitting Ryan Vilade for Hicks, and Ashby struck him out on a 3-2 changeup. Palacios hit a harmless grounder to second, which Turang flipped over to Bauers for the third out. Ashby was up to 14 2/3 scoreless innings this postseason.

With Kelly still pitching, Chourio led off the eighth with a single to center. Bauers flew out to the fringe of the warning track in left, but with Yelich up Chourio stole second base. Yelich drew a walk, and Contreras came to the plate to face Kelly, who was certainly on his last hitter. With Contreras at the plate, the Brewers executed a double steal, putting runners at second and third with one out. Contreras chased a 3-2 pitch and hit a grounder to shortstop, and Chourio was thrown out at home. The Brewers challenged, and it was very, very close, but for the second straight night, a very close, late-inning review on a run-scoring play went the Rays’ way as the play stood. Kelly was replaced by lefty Steven Matz, and with two outs and runners on the corners, Turang battled and made decent contact but flew out down the left-field line to end the inning.

Ashby had only thrown nine pitches to get his two outs in the eighth, so the Brewers rolled him back out there with a one-run lead in the ninth, with the bottom of the order due up. But maybe the long bottom of the eighth was a detriment; DeLuca lined a double down the right-field line to start the inning, and the Rays let the Brewers know: it’s not going to be that easy.

Trevor Megill warmed in the bullpen as Ashby faced Mesa Jr., but Ashby got back into the inning by striking him out on four pitches. The Rays sent pinch-hitter Ben Williamson to the plate in place of Walls, and he rolled a ball out to Turang. DeLuca advanced to third, but there were two out. Here’s where Murphy had a choice to make: did he stick with Ashby, or did he bring on Megill to face the right-handed Yandy Díaz, who led the majors in batting average with runners in scoring position this year.

Murphy stuck with Ashby. Ashby fell behind 3-1. He worked it back full. On 3-2, Ashby put a curveball in the dirt. Díaz tried to check his swing, but first-base umpire James Hoye said he went around. It was close, but it was a just mirror of a non-call on Caminero’s check swing in the ninth inning on Friday night. The game was over, and Ashby, by working out of trouble, added to his postseason legend.

This team’s resiliency has been a trait all season, but now their ability to bounce back, their unwillingness to give in, their “never say die” attitude, has become their defining characteristic. Two games ago, the Brewers fell behind 4-0 to the Dodgers after Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer. It took them three innings to erase the deficit and a fourth to take the lead. Tonight, they fell behind 4-0, and it took them a whole six innings to erase the Rays’ lead and seven to take the lead. How lazy of them.

The Brewers got offensive contributions up and down the roster; every batter in the lineup got at least one hit except for Hamilton, who reached on a run-scoring error and was credited with an RBI. In a postseason that keeps giving us new heroes, tonight it was Frelick, whose solo homer in the sixth tied the game, and Pratt, who atoned for his first-inning throwing error by knocking in the go-ahead, and ultimately winning, run in the seventh.

And then there was Ashby, this postseason’s Grim Reaper. Tonight he was cruel enough to make Tampa Bay think they were going to get him before he buckled down and got the last three outs of the game. He’s up to 15 2/3 scoreless innings in the postseason. No player has ever thrown that many innings and had a scoreless postseason; only Andrew Miller has a longer postseason streak, but if Ashby can get two more outs without allowing a run, he’ll break that record, too.

Milwaukee now takes a 2-0 lead to Tampa. They say that seven-game postseason series don’t really begin until someone wins a game on the road, but the Brewers have put themselves in excellent position by beating the Rays at what the Rays have done best all season: winning one-run games. After an off day tomorrow, we’ll be back at it on Monday night at 7pm central time.

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World Series game ends on controversial check-swing strikeout

For the second night in a row, the final out of a World Series game involved some drama.

With a runner on third and two outs in the ninth inning on Saturday in Game 2, first base umpire James Hoye ruled that the Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Diaz was unable to hold his swing on a third strike from Milwaukee Brewers lefty Aaron Ashby.

Home plate umpire Jim Wolf initially didn't think that Diaz had gone around, but Brewers catcher William Contreras won his appeal to first. The strikeout ended the Brewers' 5-4 win at American Family Field in Milwaukee, overcoming a four-run deficit against Tampa Bay.

Diaz's check-swing was one of the closer calls you'll see in baseball, as the rulebook lacks a rigid, black-and-white definition.

"In the moment, yeah, I disagreed. But the umpire said it was a swing and it is what it is," Diaz said after the game.

"Ultimately, we lost."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Series game ends on controversial check-swing strikeout

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Diving deeper into Cavs narrow 125-121 victory over the Nets

Oct 24, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Chaney Johnson (31) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly fumbled a 22-point fourth-quarter lead as they defeated the Brooklyn Nets 125-121 in their home opener.

Three stars of the game

First star: Michael Porter Jr.

28 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals

Being an off-ball scoring threat on an otherwise inept offense is difficult. Ideally, Porter would be creating looks through his movement and receiving passes from someone that actually requires defensive attention — say, Nikola Jokic. Instead, Porter has to work off Egor Demin and Julius Randle, which isn’t always the easiest task.

However, Porter made that look easy this game. He was disruptive off-ball, drawing the defense’s attention away from the play, and when he did get an opening, he made the most of it. This was on top of being an impactful defender.

Second star: Jarrett Allen

21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal

Allen was limited to 27 minutes, presumably because of the knee injury he is playing through, but made the most of his time on the court. He was aggressive attacking in the pick-and-roll when the Nets blitzed the ball handler, and even threw in a three-point make from the top of the arc.

Aside from maybe the three-point attempt, this was exactly what you want to see from Allen. And the Cavs were once again better off because he was a meaningful part of the offensive attack.

Third star: Donovan Mitchell

22 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Mitchell’s scoring is in midseason form. There are things you could criticize him for in these first two games— particularly the turnovers — but scoring isn’t one of them.

The shotmaking has felt effortless at the start of the season. He’s doing a good job of creating space off the dribble, allowing him to score at all three levels. Interestingly enough, Mitchell isn’t hunting off-the-dribble threes as much as we’ve seen in the past. He’s only taken 10 triples through two games, with most of them being catch-and-shoot threes. The three-point volume is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Dud of the game

Day’Ron Sharpe

7 points, 1 assist, 8 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls

This was a tough game for Sharpe. Defensively, he struggled to contain Allen and Evan Mobley — who had a good game in his own right — and fouled James Harden twice on three-point attempts. This all led to him fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.

Offensively, he struggled to make much of an impact against Cleveland’s bigs. He went just 3-for-10 from the field while turning it over three times.

Cavalier who deserves a shoutout

Jaylon Tyson

15 points, 4 assists, 1 steal

Tyson provided a solid contribution off the bench. He played with energy, knocked down some threes, and did a good job finding open teammates as a connector. This was basically an ideal game for him.

Play of the game

Assists like this show why Harden is one of the best passers in NBA history. Few guards would’ve seen this angle, let alone been able to fit the ball into such a tight window.

This was a bright spot in what was an overall a poor showing from Harden.

Quote of the day

“This is a building block. It’s time spent. It’s adversity. I think Joe Mazzulla said something like everybody loves each other in training camp. But you understand, like hey, come December, come January, and we’re missing shots…who are we then? That all comes in the regular season.”

– Donovan Mitchell on the early season struggles

Stat of the game

The Cavs have been outscored 73-45 combined in the fourth quarter through two games.

Late game execution has left a lot to be desired.

This game will be remembered for the Cavaliers not learning their lesson from Thursday

The Cavs didn’t give up their 22-point fourth-quarter lead, but it didn’t stop them from trying. The Nets cut the deficit down to two by winning the fourth quarter in the closing minute before the Cavs iced the game at the free-throw line. Brooklyn won the final frame 41-29.

The Cavaliers spent the time since Thursday’s loss to the Sixers talking about how they need to do a better job of handling leads. They didn’t do that here. If they were playing a team that was slightly more competent than the Nets, they likely would’ve dropped this one as well.

The Cavs are clearly a work in progress. They’re incorporating new pieces into the rotation that will take some time. However, it’s impossible to feel great about what you’ve seen so far — particularly in their first two fourth quarters.

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Rays are their own worst enemy. Brewers running them out of this World Series

MILWAUKEE – They held a two-day celebration for the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field, Games 1 and 2 of the World Series turning into a pulsating polka for the home team, a resilient group that seemingly wins under any circumstance.

The Tampa Bay Rays? They, too, were invited to the party. But their play continues to suggest they’ll be a mere footnote to this Fall Classic.

The best team in the American League has looked like no match for the Brewers even as they lost Games 1 and 2 of this World Series by one run. Yet in their deflating 5-4 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday, Oct. 24, the gap between an opportunistic club two wins from a championship and a confused squad bumbling toward the winter grew wider.

That's crazy, right? After all, the Rays got the tying run into scoring position in the top of the ninth inning in both games, with Yandy Díaz striking out against Trevor Megill on a check swing to end Game 2.

Yet they know how bad they've been. And know what they squandered after getting shut out the final eight innings after handing a 4-0 lead to ace Drew Rasmussen after one time at-bat - and then giving it all back.

"I guarantee you one thing, man: Nobody in this clubhouse wants to play the baseball we’ve played the last couple days," says third baseman Junior Caminero, who gathered his flailing squad and exhorted them to play better in the sixth inning Saturday. "That’s not who we are. But this is the type of baseball that’s unfolded.

"It’s unfortunate."

There's no shortage of reasons why Caminero would aim to give his club a talking-to:

A ball rolling through first baseman Jonathan Aranda’s legs for a run-scoring error. A botched pop fly by Chandler Simpson that led to a charitably-scored single in the sixth, starting a chain of events that would lead to the go-ahead run scoring an inning later.

And an aggressive yet pragmatic send of Liam Hicks on a single to shallow left field that resulted in the catcher getting thrown out at home ending the sixth and cutting down a crucial insurance run.

"The game’s speeding up on us right now," says Rays center fielder Jonny DeLuca, "and we’ve got to be able to slow it down and do our jobs and clean everything up. Just believe in ourselves, trusting the guys we have."

All of it – along with a couple more managerial moves from Kevin Cash that did not work out – has buried the Rays in a 2-0 hole, one that perhaps even their personal oasis of Tropicana Field cannot solve.

Not when escaping American Family Field turned into a nightmare.

Oh, it didn’t start out that way this time.

The Rays seized a four-run lead before the charcoal in the parking lot grills had time to cool, taking advantage of Brewers rookies Cooper Pratt (throwing error on leadoff batter) and Logan Henderson (three run-scoring hits given up, including a two-run homer by Hicks) to hand a massive advantage to their ace, Rasmussen.

By the sixth inning, that lead was gone. Nine outs later, so, too, was any hope the Rays had of squaring the series before returning to Tampa Bay.

The Brewers grinded Rasmussen down, immediately halving their deficit with two first-inning runs of their own on run-scoring singles from the unstoppable William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell. Of greater import, Rasmussen was at 48 pitches after two innings and 66 after three as the Brewers fouled off 22 of his pitches.

The Rays’ pitching situation was going to be suboptimal. And they could not live with that, not when other mistakes forced their arms to be perfect.

Perhaps the most important was Aranda simply muffing a spinning grounder from No. 9 batter David Hamilton in the bottom of the fourth. Aranda was playing slightly in and likely could have cut down Sal Frelick from third base.

Instead, Frelick scored to trim the Rays’ lead to 4-3. The Brewers were granted an extra out. And after a two-out walk to Jake Bauers, Rasmussen’s night was done after just 3⅔ innings.

"You don’t want to make errors," says Aranda. "But things happen, right? We’re professionals so we have to have the mindset of forgetting what happened."

For a moment, the tide was stemmed. Cam Booser, their top lefty reliever, retired Christian Yelich to clean up Rasmussen’s bases-loaded jam and followed with a scoreless fifth. At that point, Cash had choices to make.

Burn right-hander Griffin Jax, their likely Game 4 starter, to take them into the later innings and square the series? Go to higher-leverage right-hander Tyler Wells early?

Instead, he opted for lefty Ian Seymour, who walked two and failed to get an out in his last outing, ALCS Game 6 against Cleveland.

This time, the damage was instantaneous.

He lost the left-on-left match with Frelick badly, the Brewers’ charismatic right fielder drilling a liner on the ninth pitch of the at-bat that cleared the wall in right center field.

Tie game.

Seymour issued a two-out walk and should have escaped after that, but Yelich’s bloop kept floating into left field, past Taylor Walls. Simpson converged. Walls pulled off, then took another step toward Simpson, who made a stumbling grab.

But the ball popped out of Simpson’s glove as he rolled over. No runs scored. But Wells had to be summoned to finish the inning.

And perhaps the up-down had an impact on the 6-foot-8 right-hander who'd thrown more than one inning only once since Sept. 5.

He yielded a leadoff double to Brice Turang to start the seventh. Garrett Mitchell nearly blew the roof off this place with a long drive to right, but Turang advanced to third on the flyout.

More decision time for Cash: Stick with Wells, or opt for righty Kevin Kelly, a far less prolific strikeout pitcher, for Pratt?

He went with Kelly. Pratt, predictably, put the ball in play, dumping a single past a drawn-in infield.

"Cooper Pratt did a heck of a job staying on the ball, not trying to do too much, and shoot it the other way," says Cash.

It was 5-4 Brewers, a couple hours and eight innings after the Rays seized a 4-0 lead and, seemingly, were poised to square this Series.

"There’s gonna be frustration when you don’t play well," says Simpson. "When you look back at both of these games, you can generalize that you could’ve won both if some things went your way. Definitely frustrating, but positive to think if we clean those things up, we’ll be on top."

But they can’t stay out of their own way. And now they must win two of their next three, or their season will end in Tampa Bay.

"Look, we’re down 2-0 but we haven’t lost the World Series," says Díaz. "So there’s still work to do."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rays are their own worst enemy. Brewers running them out of this World Series

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Frelick and Pratt lift Brewers to 5-4 comeback win over Rays and 2-0 World Series lead

MILWAUKEE — Sal Frelick tied the score with his first home run in three months, Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2-0 World Series lead by overcoming a four-run deficit for the second time in the postseason.

Tampa Bay, which won the AL pennant by forcing opponents into mistakes, committed one error, made two other misplays that could have been charged as errors and had a runner thrown out at the plate.

Down 4-0 in the first inning, Milwaukee rallied for its seventh comeback win of this postseason. The Brewers also rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep.

After losing Friday’s opener 3-2, the Rays burst ahead against rookie Logan Henderson but the Brewers started to claw back with two runs in the bottom half against Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen.

David Hamilton cut the deficit to 4-3 with a run-scoring grounder in the fourth and Frelick capped a nine-pitch at-bat against Ian Seymour in the sixth by driving a fastball over the center-field fence.

Frelick had gone 103 plate appearances without a home run since his July 11 drive off Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft and had not gone deep against a lefty pitcher since opening day against Tyler Gilbert of the Chicago White Sox. Frelick sped around the bases in 18.72 seconds, half the time of some theatrical trots this postseason.

Screaming fans at the second game of Milwaukee’s first World Series since 1982 were fired up during the seventh-inning stretch, dancing to the “Beer Barrel Polka” played by Mike Schneider, an accordionist from Clinton, Wisconsin.

Brice Turang doubled against losing pitcher Tyler Wells on the second pitch of the bottom half, advanced on Garrett Mitchell’s flyout to right and scored when Pratt, a 22-year-old who debuted in June, looped a sinker from Kevin Kelly into short right field.

Abner Uribe pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings for the win.

Jonny DeLuca doubled off Aaron Ashby starting the ninth, then Victor Mesa Jr. struck out when he couldn’t check his swing. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson’s groundout advanced the runner and Yandy Díaz struck out when he couldn’t check his swing on a full-count pitch.

Ashby has three saves in the postseason while not allowing a run.

Milwaukee won its seventh straight game, becoming the fifth team to twice overcome four-run deficits for victories in a single postseason and the first since Philadelphia in 2022.

Game 3 of the matchup between teams seeking their first title is Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Brewers last played in 2023.

Of the 57 previous teams to take 2-0 World Series leads, 46 claimed the championship.

Tampa Bay took a 4-2 lead in the highest-scoring Series first inning since 1993’s Game 4 as teams combined for seven hits, tying the most in an opening frame.

Still, Milwaukee improved to 13-0 in games started by Henderson, dating to his 2025 debut. He followed Jacob Misiorowski in the Brewers’ rotation, the first time teammates 24 or younger started the first two games of the Series since Cincinnati’s Gary Nolan and Ross Grimsley in 1972.

Henderson started on 11 days’ rest and struggled as the Rays fouled off 13 of 35 pitches in the first. He gave up four runs — three earned — in three innings.

Given an extra day of rest, Rasmussen allowed three runs and six hits over 3 2/3 innings in his shortest start since July 9.

Pratt made his fourth error of the postseason at shortstop, the Brewers’ ninth in 10 games, bouncing his throw past first baseman Jake Bauers on a leadoff grounder by Díaz. Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero followed with RBI singles, and Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer.

Jackson Chourio and Bauers started the bottom half with singles and first baseman Jonathan Aranda allowed Contreras’ one-out foul pop to bounce out of his mitt near netting in front of the seats.

With Bauers running on a full-count pitch, Contreras bounced an RBI single to the left of second baseman Richie Palacios, who had taken a step toward the base. Mitchell’s two-out single cut the deficit to 4-2.

Hamilton hit an RBI grounder in the fourth that bounced under Aranda’s legs for an error.

Chourio threw out Hicks from left for the final out of the sixth when third base coach Brady Williams waved the slow-footed catcher to try to score from second on Mesa’s single.

Up next

Rays RHP Freddy Peralta, who became a two-time All-Star when he pitched for the Brewers from 2018-25, starts Game 3. He was the AL Championship Series MVP and is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA in three postseason starts and one relief appearance. He will be opposed by Brewers LHP Robert Gasser, who allowed one run over nine innings in his first two postseason starts.

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Braves News: World Series, AJ Smith-Shawver, more

I want to point some attention towards a somewhat niche topic in Alfredo Sena’s status pending the upcoming CBA negotiation. Sena has the looks of one of the top international free agents we’ve seen in recent years and has a pre-agreement with the Braves. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the CBA is being re-negotiated, which may result in this upcoming IFA signing period being cancelled in favor of a newly imposed draft, depending on negotiations. I’m generally not a fan of allocating large sums of IFA bonus pool towards one player, based on some research I did a while back, but there is a case to be made that scouting and player development has improved since the data I used in the piece was useful and Sena may be enough of an outlier to be an exception. A persuasive argument could be made to continue this signing period as is regardless of the outcome of CBA negotiations, just due to the timing of it all, but this is a fairly high-stakes issue for Braves fans to watch as it pertains to the CBA negotiations (aside from, you know, the status of the 2027 season on the whole and the future financial foundation of the sport).

Braves News

Demetrius looked at AJ Smith-Shawver’s season in Atlanta, in which he failed to be the savior the pitching staff needed, but showed some promise.

Our own Gaurav discussedexciting upcoming international free agent Alfredo Sena, whose future is in question pending the CBA, despite a pre-agreement with Atlanta.

MLB News

The Brewers and Rays dueled it out in a tight game 2 of the World Series.

Pablo Lopez’ return from Tommy John surgery for the Twins is looking promising and on track.

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How to watch Rays vs. Brewers Game 3 of 2026 MLB World Series: TV channel/streaming info, schedule, preview

Game 2 of the 2026 World Series is officially in the books, with the Milwaukee Brewers taking down the Tampa Bay Rays after surrendering four runs in the first inning. The Brew Crew slowly chipped away and closed things out to take a 2-0 lead. The series will resume at Tropicana Field on Monday, Oct. 26, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. ET.

Ahead of Monday's action, get everything you need to know below, including TV/streaming information, the full World Series schedule and more.

MLB: World Series-Workouts
2026 World Series Predictions: Rays vs. Brewers picks, MVP favorites and biggest X-factors
The Rays and Brewers are both chasing their first World Series championship. Our Rotoworld experts break down the matchup, identify potential difference-makers and make their picks.

How to watch Rays vs. Brewers 2026 World Series Game 3

  • When: Monday, Oct. 26
  • Where: Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, Florida
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: FOX, FOX Deportes
  • Streaming: FOX One

Rays vs. Brewers 2026 World Series schedule and results

  • Game 1: Brewers 3, Rays 2 | Recap
  • Game 2: Brewers 5, Rays 4
  • Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Rays
  • Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Rays
  • *Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 28 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Rays
  • *Game 6: Friday, Oct. 30 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Brewers
  • *Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Brewers

* = if necessary

Rays vs. Brewers Game 2 2026 World Series projected lineups

Rays

  1. Yandy Diaz - DH
  2. Jonathan Aranda - 1B
  3. Chandler Simpson - LF
  4. Junior Caminero - 3B
  5. Liam Hicks - C
  6. Richie Palacios - 2B
  7. Jonny DeLuca - CF
  8. Victor Mesa Jr. - RF
  9. Taylor Walls - SS

Brewers

  1. Jackson Chourio - LF
  2. Jake Bauers - 1B
  3. Christian Yelich - DH
  4. William Contreras - C
  5. Brice Turang - 2B
  6. Garrett Mitchell - CF
  7. Cooper Pratt - SS
  8. Sal Frelick - RF
  9. David Hamilton - 3B

Rays vs. Brewers Game 3 2026 MLB World Series probable pitchers

Brewers: Robert Gasser

Rays: Freddy Peralta

Rays vs. Brewers Game 2 2026 World Series betting odds

Milwaukee Brewers: +101

Tampa Bay Rays: -121

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Have the Milwaukee Brewers ever won a World Series?

The Brewers have never won a World Series, having lost their only prior appearance in 1982 (defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games).

Have the Tampa Bay Rays ever won a World Series?

The Rays are 0-2 across their two World Series appearances, with losses to the Dodgers in 2020 (4-2) and Phillies in 2008 (4-1).

How many games are in the World Series?

The World Series is a best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games wins the series.

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'It Felt So Good': Takeaways From Penguins' Comeback Overtime Win Over Predators

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins put forth their best effort of the season in a 4-0 shutout win over the Florida Panthers, as they were clicking on all cylinders for a full 60 minutes. They hoped that game could help right the ship after a poor road trip that saw four straight losses. 

And they certainly delivered in the follow-up performance Saturday.

The Penguins bested the Nashville Predators, 3-2, on a late comeback goal by Rickard Rakell and a snipe by Ville Koivunen in overtime to give them their second-straight win in what was a great team effort. Goaltender Arturs Silovs started his third straight game and stopped 24 of 26 Nashville shots on goal. 

It was good to see Rakell get on the board, especially since it was just his second goal of the season and because he had two breakaway opportunities to score earlier. 

“It felt so good," Rakell said. "The amount of looks I had – first off, in this game – my teammates setting me up for all these chances, it definitely feels good to put one in. It felt like that gave us a lot of momentum going into overtime, and it was a great job by Ville to find the back of the net there.”

The game started out pretty sloppy and choppy for both teams, with not a ton of time and space to work with, especially in the neutral zone. That said, the Penguins still carried most of the play in the first period, but unfortunately, a floating puck in the goal crease hit Steven Stamkos's stick and went in to give Nashville a 1-0 lead midway through the opening frame. 

But the Penguins had a quick answer in the second. 

Just 18 seconds in, Elmer Soderblom picked off a puck from behind the net and forced it to Dewar low in the right circle, and he was able to outwork his opponent and corral the puck to set up a shot and put it past Saros to tie things at 1-1. For a good chunk of the second period, the Penguins were dominating play. 

However, a defensive breakdown in coverage led to a second goal by Nashville. After a faceoff win, defenseman Jayden Struble took a pass from Nils Hoglander, and he was left uncovered in the right circle. He picked his spot and blew one by Silovs to restore the Nashville lead.

Silovs made some big saves at the end of the second and into the third - and the Preds almost got on the board in the final second of the middle frame, but the puck didn't cross the goal line in time - and, in the latter stages of the third period, the Penguins got some legitimate momentum. 

During the 6-on-5, the Penguins were cycling the puck in the offensive zone, and Sidney Crosby had the puck in the right circle. He threaded a perfect pass through several sticks over to Rickard Rakell on the left side, and Rakell one-timed it home to tie the game with a minute and six seconds left in regulation.

Then, in overtime, the Penguins pretty much held the puck the entire time. With 1:16 remaining on the clock, Ville Koivunen got the puck in the slot area, and he made a little stutter step move around a defender to give himself prime real estate in the slot. He sniped a shot past the glove side of Saros, and the Penguins went home with a much-deserved two points. 

"We get back off that road trip, and everybody is obviously disappointed in the results," head coach Dan Muse said. "We're disappointed in terms of the consistency of play... I look at it as an opportunity for us to, you know, how can we come together? How can we, you know, be able to maybe come out of this thing better than when you go into it?

"So, you have a stretch of games you don't like, it's a choice: You can feel bad for yourself, you can start to kind of just do your own thing. People can be on their own page or you can come together. We needed to play a better brand of hockey. We still have things to clean up, but I think these last two games have been a step in the right direction."

Penguins Place Girard On IR, Recall HayesPenguins Place Girard On IR, Recall HayesThe Penguins continue to get hit by the injury bug, placing yet another player on injured reserve Saturday with a few more expected out of Saturday's game versus Nashville.

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- This was a really chippy game for both teams. Sticks were getting in every lane, offensive zone time wasn't sustained, pucks were jumping off of sticks, and both defenses played a pretty tight game for the most part.  

That said, there were portions of this game that the Penguins just took over. And it felt like they were the much better team. 

This happened in the first part of the second period. It happened in the latter part of the third period. For portions of the first period. The Penguins outshot the Predators, 37-26, and it felt like it. 

There were still a few too many high-danger opportunities against. But, almost every time, Silovs was there to answer the call. Overall, this was a great performance by the Penguins, and it would have been a disappointment if they didn't get at least a point out of it. 

- Speaking of Silovs, this is two really, really good performances from him in a row.

He's played in three straight games, and he seems to be developing a little bit more consistency that has been lacking in the past. There were several huge saves he made in this game to keep the Penguins in it, but one in particular during the second period gave his team a wave of momentum.

The Predators exposed the Penguins on a 2-on-1 opportunity, and Steven Stamkos found Ryan O'Reilly with a wicked dish pass. O'Reilly didn't get all of it, but he, seemingly, got enough — that is, until Silovs went cross-crease right-to-left and made a ridiculous glove save.

Obviously, Sergei Murashov is going to get his fair share of starts, and there's a good chance that, with two young goaltenders, the Penguins are simply going to ride the hot hand. But if Silovs can continue to pile on starts, it will do wonders for his confidence in developing consistency as an NHL starter.

- During the first period, Crosby was approaching the offensive zone, and the linesman went to signal the play onside. He waved his arm and clotheslined Crosby, knocking him to the ice.

Crosby was fine, but he did step out of the faceoff in place of Blake Lizotte for a brief moment. 

- What a pass that was by Crosby on Rakell's tying goal. He managed to make that pass and elude three or four sticks in the process. That was a vintage Crosby play. 

And we need to see more of it. 

Rakell has been playing much better hockey the past few games and was just snakebitten. Crosby, however, has yet to find his hallmark consistency that has defined his NHL career.

Tommy Novak has had a nice start to the season, but he's not the right fit for that first line. It needs young, fresh legs. Some speed, or even just some youth, would do.

Throw Avery Hayes or Rutger McGroarty up there. Even Koivunen. Try Robertson again. Because, at five-on-five, the first line is a problem right now. Even though Rakell had some chances, he's a slow skater, and Crosby has lost a step, too. 

They could use some forechecking legs on that line and a guy who will crash the net. 

Takeaways: Penguins Deliver Near-Perfect 60-Minute Effort In 4-0 Win Over Panthers To Snap Four-Game Losing StreakTakeaways: Penguins Deliver Near-Perfect 60-Minute Effort In 4-0 Win Over Panthers To Snap Four-Game Losing StreakAfter a disastrous, winless four-game Western road trip, the Penguins put together their best effort of the season Thursday against Florida.

- Soderblom's play down low on Dewar's goal was excellent, and that goal in general was a hard-earned one on both the distribution side of it and the scoring side of it.

I really do think Soderblom makes that fourth line better. The other two guys on it - Dewar and Nick Robertson - certainly have to stay in the lineup as well, but I'm truly not sure who comes out when guys start to get healthy. 

- The second line of Koivunen, Hendrix Lapierre, and Hayes was buzzing all night long. 

Hayes fit right in on that line in his first NHL action of the season, and one game into the 2026-27 NHL season for him, it's clear as day that this guy is an NHL player. His forechecking is relentless. He drives the net. And, as Muse said later, he's got that "dog on a bone" mentality. 

"Maybe just the experience of getting to know him last year and over the training camp this year, just knowing the type of game that he's capable of playing, that kind of dog on a bone type of game, just hunting pucks and getting in there," Muse said. "But he's also a guy who can find space well offensively."

I think Hayes is the perfect hybrid of Bryan Rust and former Penguin and Stanley Cup champion Max Talbot. 

And Koivunen and Lapierre are developing some legitimate chemistry, as was Malkin with them Thursday. I keep saying it, but Koivunen is playing some very good hockey right now. He looks confident with the puck, and his puck protection skills have vastly improved. Some actual NHL runway in the top-six, as well as some confidence, has done wonders for him in recent games. 

"I think it's a little bit of both," Koivunen said. "Like, [confidence] in yourself a lot, and I want to make plays with the puck."

Muse sees the progress Koivunen is making at the NHL level.

"Koivy's playing really good hockey," Muse said. "I think we've seen that from him, you know, for a number of games. I think his game's just continuing to take steps. So, I think, sometimes with guys, too, it's just a matter of getting, you know, the more time that you get, you need those opportunities to be able to stack some things and stack some games. I think you've seen that now with Koivy."

Former Penguins Defenseman Claimed Off Waivers By Big RivalFormer Penguins Defenseman Claimed Off Waivers By Big RivalThis former Penguins defenseman has been claimed off waivers.

- This was not a particularly strong game from the top pairing of Spencer Stastney and Erik Karlsson, who actually have been pretty good together in the last couple of games. They were all over the place, as Stastney blew coverage on Struble's goal, and Karlsson blew coverage on the almost-goal at the end of the second. 

But the most glaring issue in Saturday's game was the power play. That unit just looks dead in the water right now and, once it finally enters the zone cleanly, just passes along the perimeter and is far too stagnant. 

They're missing five regulars on their power play right now, so that's a factor. But, hey, at least Robertson - their co-leader in goals this season with six - got to see some power play time as a result.

- The Penguins have a rare big break in their schedule and do not play until Thursday, when the Utah Mammoth come to Pittsburgh to complete the season series between the teams. 

Given how short training camp was - and given how many injured players the Penguins have - I think these days will do them some good, especially since they will have three full practice days. Evgeni Malkin was out with an illness in this one, Egor Chinakhov is day-to-day, and Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel, and Sam Girard were all put on injured reserve within the last few days, and they're all starters.

But it's hard to deny the way this team plays when some of its best players go down and the young players actually get a look.

At some point, the youth movement is going to need to happen. Hayes belongs in the NHL. So does McGroarty, so does Koivunen, and so does Soderblom. There's a different kind of energy - a fresh energy - around this team with these guys on it, and the bond between them is palpable. 

These last two games were a stepping stone. But it will be interesting to see how the Penguins handle decision-making for their roster should they string together some wins with the lineup they have. 

Tough decisions loom. I honestly have no clue what to expect. 

Dubas: Ben Kindel Had 'Vasovagal Episode' On Team PlaneDubas: Ben Kindel Had 'Vasovagal Episode' On Team PlanePittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas cleared up what happened during Ben Kindel's medical episode on the team plane Tuesday, which prompted an emergency landing and required hospitalization.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

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Are Brewers unbeatable? World Series dream nearly complete with 2-0 lead

MILWAUKEE — The 43,245 screaming, yellow towel-waving fans, serenaded the Milwaukee Brewers off the field Saturday evening after their latest dramatic comeback victory, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays, wondering only one thing.

When’s the World Series parade?

The Brewers pulled off a stunning 5-4 victory over the Rays at American Family Field, taking a 2-0 lead in their bid for the first World Series championship in franchise history.

Really, at this point, there may be no stopping them.

The Brewers were down 4-0 just five batters into the game, teasing the Rays that they were going to win, and then methodically came back to rip their hearts out.

Incredibly, the Brewers have trailed in seven postseason games this year by a combined score of 16-5.

And they’ve proceeded to shut out the opposition by a combined score of 23-0 to win the seven games.

The Brewers have now won seven consecutive postseason games, the longest in franchise history, and the longest including a World Series victory since the Washington Nationals in 2019.

Insane.

Really, the Rays still can’t believe what hit them.

They had their ace on the mound in Drew Rasmussen.

Rasmussen entered the game as the hottest pitcher in baseball.

He yielded a 1.05 ERA in September, giving up just three runs in 25 ⅔ innings. He was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in October in his first three postseason starts. He had a 4-0 lead before even stepped on the mound.

And he lasted just 3 ⅔ innings, giving three of the runs right back, with six hits and two walks.

It was his shortest outing since getting pummeled by the Yankees back on July 9, giving up six earned runs in just 2 ⅓ innings in their 12-4 loss. It was only the second time in his career he threw at least 80 pitches and lasted four innings.

It was borderline shocking considering Rasmussen’s utter dominance.

Yet, there were the Brewers scratching out four hits and two runs in the first inning on run-scoring singles by William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell. They tacked on another in the fourth inning on an error by Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda.

And then, came the shocker, bringing the house down.

Sal Frelick, the Brewers’ No. 8 hitter who had hit only one homer off the 272 left-handed pitchers he has faced the last two seasons, and just four homers in 407 plate appearances overall this year, took lefty Ian Seymour deep.

Frelick, batting Seymour for nine pitches, fouling off four of them, drilled a 93-mph fastball, 408 feet over the center-field fence. Frelick sprinted and skipped around the basepaths in just 21.4 seconds, barely looking up to admire it.

The game was suddenly tied, and one inning later, the Brewers finally had their lead with rookie Cooper Pratt’s run-scoring single for a 5-4 lead.

And, considering the Brewers’ vaunted bullpen, which had produced a 1.24 ERA this postseason, the game was over.

Really, the biggest surprise of all this postseason for the Brewers has been their uncanny ability to dominate up the greatest starters in the game in October.

They beat up two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. They ripped into World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamto.

They blasted two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. They knocked out $30-million-a-year pitcher Tyler Glasnow.

That decorated quintet failed to win a single game against the Brewers, yielding a gruesome 6.53 ERA, with only Snell lasting past five innings.

This night, they treated Rasmussen with the same utter disrespect.

Now, the teams will travel to Tampa with the World Series resuming Monday, Oct. 26 with Game 3 at Tropicana Field.

The Trop, which has become a house of horrors for visiting teams, will never look so good for the Rays.

“There's definitely little nuances at our ballpark that make The Trop unique," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We love it there, and we love our fan support. Our fan support has been second to none in this postseason run. It was loud here. I think that we can get just as loud, if not louder, at our ballpark.

“I know our group is ready to get back there … taking it back for Game 3, and really give our fans something to yell about."

The Rays, who made three outs on the basepaths in Game 1, continued their aggressiveness this night, with Chandler Simpson running on All-Star catcher William Contreras and stealing second base in their four-run first inning.

“I'm confident with the way we've ran the bases all season long and our decision-making all season long," Cash said before the game, “we're going to stay committed to that."

Oops.

They made another foolish mistake on the bases again in the sixth inning when Victor Mesa hit a single to shallow left field and third base coach Brady Williams waved home catcher Liam Hicks. Left fielder Jackson Chouro fielded it cleanly. It bounced twice to home plate. And it still nailed Hicks by five feet.

The crowd was still buzzing when Frelick stepped to the plate, and hit one of the most stunning home runs in Brewers’ postseason history.

Now, 44 years after their lone World Series appearance, the Brewers truly believe this is their year.

So does all of Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin.

The Brewers are coming back to Milwaukee either to play a potential Game 6 on Friday night, or to prepare for a downtown parade that will be remembered for generations.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Brewers unbeatable? World Series dream nearly complete with 2-0 lead

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Instant Analysis: Blues Get A Hearty Dose Of Humble Pie In 4-0 Loss To Defending Stanley Cup Champion Hurricanes

ST. LOUIS – Hello humble pie. Welcome to St. Louis, courtesy of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The defending Stanley Cup champions doled out plenty of it to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, winning 4-0 and abruptly ending another modest two-game streak for the Blues (5-5-1), who just can’t seem to win three straight games on a consistent basis.

When the Blues took down the other Stanley Cup finalist on Thursday, the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights 6-2, it was a good measuring stick to learn who they are, what they are and how they want to play.

They came out of it wanting to be a more relentless team to play against on a daily basis, but when it comes to relentlessness, the Hurricanes (9-2-2) are the gold standard, and it showed here at Enterprise Center.

“Very humbling,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “Also, (a) tutorial by the Stanley Cup champions about how to play to who you are no matter the score. They were as committed in the third period up 3-0, up 4-0 as they were at the start of the game. It’s an opportunity for us … it’s hard work, but that hard work becomes who you are when you do it every day and in practice and it translates. That’s what we’re trying to grow and grow into. Unfortunately, we expected early in the year with a lot of new faces and I don’t want to say young team because I don’t even know where we are in the scope of ages in the league. … It’s humbling when you see it happen to everyone in our lineup. They stick-check pucks, they go through arms, they’re above us, so that’s an elite team in the league, if not the elite team in the league, and that’s what we’ve got to work towards every day, and we’ll get there.”

The learning lesson from this result is?

“Just grow, learn,” Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. “That’s the standard of the NHL. We played one of the other standards the other night and had a really good game and beat them 6-2. Obviously you’d like to be able to rinse, repeat, come back tonight and beat another really good team. But there’s a lot of humbling nights in this league and a lot of learning lessons and we have one tonight. Nobody’s going to hang their head over it, show up for practice tomorrow, get better and continue to move forward.”

Let’s delve into the game itself …

* Failed early opportunities set the tone – The Blues actually came out of the gates looking like they were going to pick up where they left off Thursday.

They were attacking and pressuring, kind of like the Canes do to teams, and Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud each had Grade A scoring opportunities to get the Blues off and running but were stopped by Pyotr Kochetkov.

The Blues had a 4-1 shots on goal advantage and conceivably could have had a 2-0 lead.

“Right off the bat, I’m pretty sure we had a few good chances and even throughout the second, I think we had a breakaway, we had some good chances ourselves,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “That’s just a part of it. We definitely had our chances, but just kind of got to build and learn, make sure that we continue to push forward.”

Connor McMichael did have a breakaway to begin the second period, in the first couple minutes, of a 0-0 game but was also stopped. Holloway also had another great chance but was poke-checked by Kochetkov before toe-picking and colliding with the goalie.

But as Montgomery said, the game was already slipping away from the Blues.

“I thought it got away in the first, the last half of the first,” Montgomery said. “They just kept playing the same way. I thought the first 10 minutes, I really liked the way we played. They just maintained it (and) we didn’t. And the second period is what happens. Their consistency to who they are and how they play in all three zones. It wears you down and it may look like the second period because that’s where they really did break away on us, but it starts in the first period.”

Was Carolina taking that away from the Blues or did they just get away from it themselves?

“I think it’s a combination,” Montgomery said. “They maintain it because that’s who they are. We’re not at that level yet of being able to maintain it. It’s more mental than physical and some of it is just we fall off because what happens is teams break your spirit. A team like that does.

“When the Blues won that Stanley Cup, that’s what they did that year. I coached against them, it was impressive. It was like, ‘Wow.’ I remember the game in January, they were on a 10-game (winning) streak. We actually won it, but the first period, if it wasn’t for our goalie, it would have been over, but then we were able to match it, and that’s what we’re going to have to do. We’re going to have to find that consistency level. It doesn’t take long to get it, but it’s doing it every day.”

* Canes struck fast and closed this out – Once McMichael didn’t convert his opportunity to give the Blues a lead, Carolina said enough was enough.

Sean Walker and Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s goals 20 seconds apart at 4:45 and 5:05 of the second period made it 2-0. One was on a delayed penalty – although the puck could have been blown dead prior to it – and the other came off a forecheck battle won out on rookie Adam Jiricek and lost coverage by Justin Barron (we’ll get to that below) and as Carolina’s game was growing, the Blues’ was faltering away due to the relentless pressure.

“That’s the standard. We knew that coming in,” Neighbours said. “Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still really hard to play against. They play a very structured game. They’re very predictable to each other and they do it at a very high level. You can learn a lot from a team like that.”

* Stankoven goal was final nail – The Blues were down 2-0 and power plays were obviously going to be hard to come by, but when they were given one courtesy of Carolina having too many men on the ice at 11:24 of the second, it was a chance to get back into the game, and the Blues’ power play was hot coming in with a goal in five straight (6-for-17).

It never happened despite a could looks, and when Barron had his pocket picked by Seth Jarvis, the Carolina forward sprung Stankoven for a breakaway that he sniped at 13:35 to make it 3-0.

“That’s a good team. They play hard obviously. There’s no surprise,” Parayko said. “That’s why they’re a good team and they always are competitive and obviously last year they won it all. They compete hard, they play man to man, they’re tight on everyone all over the ice. Obviously take a lot of time and space away.

“They just take away time and space. I feel like they’re on top of players a lot. … They’re obviously good at what they’re doing.”

* Relentless is Carolina’s standard – The Hurricanes always looked like they had 10 skaters on the ice with their speed and tenacity. It’s in all three zones, and the Blues just simply didn’t handle it well enough as the game wore on, and it was evident on the stat sheet, and as Montgomery noted, the Hurricanes played to the same standard up 3-0 in the third period that grew to 4-0 on Nikolaj Ehlers’ power-play goal at 4:30.

“I don’t think it’s pace, I don’t think we have a problem keeping up with them,” Neighbours said. “It’s just more the competitive edge that they have, their ability to win battles in all areas of the ice and just how they’re on top of you at all times. It’s something that early in my career, I still admire about that team. They give you no time and space, they’re over top of every check all over the ice and it’s almost a man-on-man system from our end all the way to theirs. They do it very well and there’s a lot to learn.”

* Montgomery loading up with Broberg, Parayko – Carolina’s top two lines are very lethal, and even though Barron was coming off a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) against Vegas, Montgomery went with his bread-and-butter defensemen in Broberg and Parayko to face the Sebastian Aho line along with Cam Fowler and Brandon Carlo to fend for the Stankoven line, leaving Barron and Jiricek – two right-handers – to fend for the third pair, and it was that one that was left exposed on the Hurricanes’ second goal.

“I wanted to have those guys out, and I wanted to have Carlo and 17 (Fowler) out against their second line,” Montgomery said. ‘There’s a drop in their third- and fourth-line. Not in work ethic but in play-making ability and goal-scoring ability.”

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