PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 24: Devin Booker #15 of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket against Georges Niang #32 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center on October 24, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Devin Booker scored 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting, and the Suns took care of a short-handed Golden State team in the home opener, 131-122.
Was it pretty? No. Was it needed? Very much. You’ll take wins however you get them in the NBA, even if there is plenty to clean up.
Phoenix shot 58.1% from the field, assisted on 33 of its 50 made baskets and outscored the Warriors 27-7 in transition. Golden State, playing without Stephen Curry, Brandin Podzemski, Draymond Green, and others, hung around with 26 second-chance points and 17 threes.
Booker finished with 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting (2-of-7 from three, 7-of-8 at the line), 7 rebounds, 7 assists and a block in 36 minutes. Miles Bridges added 16 points on 6-of-11 and 7 rebounds. Dillon Brooks had 15 points and 5 assists. Collin Gillespie scored 11 with 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, and led the team at +16. Luke Kennard went 3-of-5 from deep for 11 points and a +15. Man Man posted 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
De’Anthony Melton led Golden State with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 4-of-8 from three and 5-of-5 at the line, plus 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists and went 5-of-10 from deep. Brandon Williams scored 20, 8 of them at the line, and Graham Ike added 12 points and 9 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Game Flow
First Half
The Warriors opened up with an 11-4 lead behind a pair of triples from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
Devin Booker scored 6 of the first 8 points for Phoenix. Jordan Ott saw enough after a 13-8 Warriors lead and called the first timeout of the game at the 7:57 mark.
As soon as Jordan Goodwin checked in, good things happened. He stole the ball from De’Anthony Melton and dished it ahead to Devin Booker, leading to a wide-open bucket to make it 16-15, Phoenix. Timeout Warriors.
Golden State went on a 7-0 run immediately after that, with Phoenix’s second unit struggling to get an offensive flow.
The Suns shot 1-of-12 from three in the quarter. Luke Kennard hit the only one. Everyone else went 0-for-10 from deep, and Jalen Green opened 0-of-3 from the field.
The glass was the bigger problem. Golden State won the boards 19-12 and grabbed seven offensive rebounds. Phoenix had five defensive rebounds total. Santos, Ike, and Charles Bassey each pulled down two on the offensive end.
While he (Bridges) did initially provide some solid minutes, the Suns continued to get killed on the glass and struggled from deep. Miles Bridges led the push with 8 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three. Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green added 5 apiece, and Green got his first three of the night to drop after an 0-of-3 opening quarter.
Devin Booker added 9 more points on 3-of-5 shooting and got to the line for the first time, going 3-of-4. The bench delivered in short bursts. Ryan Dunn made his only shot, a three, and was a +6 in 5:45. Man Man was a +6 in under three minutes of second-quarter run.
Golden State hung around at the line and on the glass. The Warriors went 6-of-8 from the stripe in the quarter as the Suns were whistled for eight fouls.
Booker leads all scorers at the half with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Yaxel Lendeborg paces the Warriors with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 3-of-5 from deep.
Phoenix led at halftime, 57-54.
Second Half
The second half started with much more energy from Phoenix, opening on a 14-7 push. And just as they pushed it to a 10-point lead, Golden State came fighting right back to tie it up.
Collin Gillespie started to get it going, pouring in 9 points in 3 minutes. After a scoreless first half, he went 3-of-3 with two threes for 9 points in the quarter and was a +8 in his stint.
Phoenix couldn’t miss. The Suns shot 16-of-20 (80%) from the field in the third quarter and 6-of-8 from three. Golden State hung around with their three-point shooting.
Devin Booker played all 12 minutes and didn’t miss a shot: 6-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from deep and 3-of-3 at the line for 17 points. He had 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting and 7 assists through three quarters.
Luke Kennard did his damage from the corner of the bench. He hit 2-of-3 from three in the fourth for 6 points and finished 4-of-6 from the field.
Golden State won the quarter 30-29 by going back to the glass. The Warriors grabbed five offensive rebounds in the fourth, three by Lendeborg, and finished with a 26-9 edge in second-chance points.
Phoenix looked a bit more comfortable, with the ball zipping around as it should.
Golden State wouldn’t go away, but the Suns held firm control throughout the final 20 minutes of the game. Booker dropped 43, setting a franchise record in a home opener, and the Suns secured their first win of the season. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 24: Sergio de Larrea #55 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on October 24, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Mavericks hosted the San Antonio Spurs for their home opener Saturday night, but couldn’t send the crowd home happy, on the heels of a 122-106 final score. Without the services of Cooper Flagg (shoulder) and Kyrie Irving (rest), the burden was on veterans Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, along with newcomers like Zaccharie Risacher and Marcus Sasser, to show out against their intrastate rivals.
Let’s get to the grades!
Naji Marshall: B+
10 PTS / 4 REB / 5 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN
Marshall was solid, especially stepping in as the starting point guard, but didn’t log a whole lot of minutes when all was said and done. He put in a well rounded game with 4-of-8 shooting, even hitting his only three-point attempt, making the most of his somewhat limited minutes.
Max Christie: C
5 PTS / 5 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 26 MIN
Christie drove early in the game, giving what I’ve been calling for – more than just camping out at the three-point line. He missed, but at least showed the versatility. Then, he camped out at the three-point line the rest of the game. He finished 2-of-9 overall and only 1-of-5 from deep. With the play of Sasser and versatility of Risacher, Christie may be in danger of losing minutes if this keeps up.
Zaccharie Risacher: B+
11 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 32 MIN
Risacher is all energy all the time. His offensive game is streaky to say the least, but he is fast, interested in defending and seemingly gets taller every time he takes the court. Much of his value showed up outside the box score Saturday night, but he did bring defensive intensity that was needed in an otherwise high scoring game. A pull up three and fastbreak layup displayed what he can do offensively. If he can get a bit more consistent on that end of the floor, he’s going to bring a lot to the team this season. Saturday night ended on the better end of the spectrum, with 4-of-8 shooting and 1-of-3 from deep.
P.J. Washington: B
12 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 36 MIN
Washington started well and had a good night overall, but it felt as though he disappeared a bit as the game went on. He still finished on a highly efficient 6-of-12 from the floor, but missed all three of his three-point attempts.
Daniel Gafford: B+
12 PTS / 9 REB / 2 AST / 3 STL / 2 BLK – 23 MIN
Gafford shook off whatever spell he was under in the first game of the season and looked more locked in. He still struggled on the boards and committed too many fouls early, but generally avoided bone-headed plays that plagued him a few nights ago. A steal at half court that he took about 50 feet for a thunderous dunk was a reminder of what he can bring at his best. He followed that up with an alley-oop slam and another dunk off an offensive rebound with Victor Wembanyama draped on his back.
Marcus Sasser: A-
12 PTS / 3 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN
Sasser is proving to be every bit the shooter we thought he could be. He connected on 5-of-9 from the floor, including 2-of-5 from downtown. He was tied with Marshall and Walter Clayton, Jr. for the team lead in assists. Sasser is bringing exactly what the Mavs need from their bench unit, playing within himself and engaging on both ends of the floor.
Sergio De Larrea: A+
21 PTS / 5 REB / 4 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 32 MIN
De Larrea looked significantly more comfortable just three games into his NBA tenure. In the first half alone, he banked in two nearly identical floaters and finished a reverse layup under the rim off a nice pass. Those were just the first half highlights. He scored 13 points over the first 24 minutes, shooting 75% and hitting his only three-point attempt. The second half was no different. After a few awkward moments in the first two games of the season, De Larrea looked like an experienced NBA veteran. He finished 9-of-15 to lead the team in scoring. This was basically a flawless game for the young player and it affords Dallas the much-needed guard depth that they were unsure of coming into the season.
Final Thoughts
The Mavericks looked very well connected despite missing a floor general in Irving and their best player in Flagg. Rebounds continue to haunt Dallas. They gave up far too many offensive boards that resulted in additional second-chance points for the Spurs, but the game was much closer than the final score indicates, at least until the waning minutes of the night.
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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
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.
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 this postseason.
Tampa Bay, which won the AL pennant in part by consistently forcing opponents into mistakes, committed one error, made two other misplays on defense and had a runner thrown out at the plate by Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio.u
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.
“As long as there’s game left, we have a chance. I think we’ve all bought into that. We’re never out of it,” Pratt said.
Outfielders Jackson Chourio (11), Garrett Mitchell (5) and Sal Frelick (10) celebrate after the Brewers’ 5-4 win over the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 24, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Tannen Maury/UPI/Shutterstock
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 off 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.
“I was just pumped to try to get back to the dugout,” the 5-foot-9 Frelick said. “I don’t hit a lot of home runs, especially to center, so I was happy it went out.”
Screaming fans at 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.
“It’s mayhem, and I’ve never experienced anything like it before,” Frelick said. “It’s been motivating for all the players.”
Brice Turang doubled against losing pitcher Tyler Wells on the second pitch of the bottom half, advanced on Garrett Mitchell’s deep flyout to right and scored when Pratt, a 22-year-old shortstop who debuted in June, looped a sinker from Kevin Kelly into short right field.
“I feel like we’ve been down a lot early throughout the playoffs so far,” Frelick said. “Nine innings to play, and it doesn’t really change your offensive plan at all. We’re trying to go up, take a chunk of the pitcher each at-bat, pass it to the next guy and hopefully that leads to a few runs doing that.”
Sal Frelick celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of the Brewers’ win over the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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.
“Look, we didn’t play our cleanest baseball game by any stretch,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We pride ourselves on doing everything we can to support the pitchers and making plays behind them. Today was probably not our best day.”
Sal Frelick celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of the Brewers’ win over the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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 the teams combined for seven hits, tying the most in an opening frame.
Shortstop Cooper Pratt celebrates and looks to his teammates in the dugout after hitting an RBI single in the seventh inning of the Brewers’ win over the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Henderson followed Jacob Misiorowski in the Brewers’ rotation, the first time teammates 24 or younger started the first two games of a World 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.
“Just felt like he wasn’t as sharp as he’s been for quite some time,” Cash said.
Drew Rasmussen walks to the dugout after being taken out of the game in the fourth inning of the Rays’ loss to the Brewers in Game 2 of the World Series. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Pratt made his fourth error of the postseason, 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.
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 bag. 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 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.
“I think we’ve made some mistakes on the bases for sure, going back to yesterday,” Cash said. “To their credit, they have responded with everything that we have thrown at them in these first two games.”
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.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 24: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bucks 127-116. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Regular Season Bell Ringer Standings: Tyrese Maxey – 1.5 Jaylen Brown – 0.5
The Sixers are 3-0 to start the season after taking down the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 on Saturday night.
This was the first game of the first back-to-back of the season for Philadelphia. LeBron James was ruled out for this contest early on for sciatica management. This being the first back-to-back means that we’re still slowly figuring out exactly what the Sixers are planning in terms of resting the likes of LeBron and possibly Embiid, who played in Saturday’s contest. Perhaps they’ll always stagger them, or perhaps it will be a case-by-case basis depending on the opponents faced in each set of consecutive contests. With Embiid’s status for Sunday’s contest still up in the air, we just have to wait and see.
But, back to tonight. The Bucks, the consensus underdogs, were not taking this as a loss lying down. They put up a fight and took advantage of the opportunities the Sixers continued to give them at points throughout this one, even taking the lead for a lot of the second frame. It was, overall, a lot harder of a battle than maybe it appeared it would be on paper pregame, but that’s the nature of the NBA. The important thing is that players like Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe went to work to regain control of the game in the Sixers’ favor by time the fourth quarter rolled around. The Sixers wavered a bit, but held on to take down the Bucks.
Let’s get to the Bell Ringer.
Joel Embiid: 28 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal
<p>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</p><br> | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It didn’t take long for Joel Embiid to warm up in this one. In fact, the big fella was involved in every facet, filling up the stat sheet, right off the tip. Through the first six minutes of the game, he had already amassed six points, three rebounds and two assists. Between hitting his jumpers and constantly drawing fouls, Embiid was pretty much able to do whatever he wanted on offense. Thank goodness too, because there were a few times no one else from Philadelphia could do much of anything.
But speaking of his teammates, Embiid was an absolute playmaker for the Sixers tonight — especially important on a night without LeBron James’ facilitation. You can see Embiid working patiently to pull in a help defender to allow him to kick out to an open teammate, he’s setting up huge screens to create space for guys like Maxey to pull up, and he’s just hitting some really great passes (sometimes with a flair for the dramatic, for style points).
Embiid finished with a floor-leading 28 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the triple-double. He also had one steal.
Joel Embiid. What a night. The big fella was an absolute playmaker for the Sixers tonight (especially important without LeBron playing), racking up 10 assists as part of a huge triple-double evening.
<p>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</p><br> | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Something that is quickly becoming evident about Brown is he just seems to show up when his team needs him to the most. In the Cavs game, that came in the form of three huge buckets as the Sixers mounted their comeback. Tonight, it was with two big triples and eight points in the second to help the Sixers break out of an ice cold streak that allowed the Bucks to take the lead out from under them. After putting up 16 points in the first two quarters, Brown was a floor-leading +18… not bad considering the Sixers led by just four at the break.
It’s not just about Brown’s ability to create shots for himself in isolation. It’s that he also shoots incredibly well and is creating opportunities for his teammates at the same time. Add that to Brown’s well-known impact on the defensive end, and the former Celtic continues to show exactly why his addition to the squad was such a massive one for this franchise.
Brown finished Saturday with 27 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Next up is Jaylen Brown, who was just a consistent contributor throughout this up-and-down night for the Sixers. From creating his own buckets in isolation to diming up his teammates to his solid defense, Brown did it all tonight.
<p>Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
It is truly incredible what Maxey is able to do on the offensive end of a basketball court. It’s even more incredible what he’s able to accomplish when he has just a bit of space to operate in.
Working especially with Embiid, Maxey was able to find a ton of pockets of space tonight within which to create good looks for himself. But let’s be real, they don’t even really need to be the easiest shot opportunities for Maxey to make something out of nothing. This was yet another night of Maxey finishing out the easy buckets, hitting his jumpers, and making a few fantastic finishes that make you wonder how in the world he does it. He shot well from long range (4-for-9) and was just consistently chipping in points for Philadelphia — which was incredibly important against a Bucks team that was not giving up and kept biting back with buckets of their own.
Maxey finished the night with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists.
<p>Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images</p><br> | Getty Images
Edgecombe has been open about still finding his spot on this new-look Sixers offense. Tonight was a great glimpse of what it can be. It doesn’t always have to be finishing through contact at the rim or his high flying, acrobatic dunks. It can, in fact, be waiting patiently for the right opportunities to pull up for the jumper. Tonight, he got a lot of those opportunities, and took full advantage, sinking 5-of-10 attempts from long range.
Frankly, even if he had a terrible game otherwise, sinking that many triples for a Sixers franchise that so often goes ice cold from long range would earn a nomination. But it wasn’t a terrible game otherwise. Edgecombe continues to be a monster on the boards, pulling in 13 for the double-double tonight. He is also putting a ton of effort into finding ways to be truly disruptive on the defensive end (which is probably a big part of why he got himself into a bit of foul trouble tonight, but I digress).
His best sequence, in fact, involved him scoring zero points, but making a hell of a lot happen for Philadelphia, including securing the victory for the home team.
A MASSIVE effort sequence from VJ Edgecombe who may have just secured the win for the Sixers.
On one end, a huge offensive board that leads to a triple. On the other, a steal that leads to a transition 3. pic.twitter.com/Ntre14E7Jd
His offensive game with this roster will take time to fall into place, but tonight was a great sign of things to come for Edgecombe. VJ finished the night with 17 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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).
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.
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.
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."
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.
- 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."
- 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.
Not to throw a cliche in here, but at this point, I think Crosby needs some young, fresh energy on his line.
Throw Hayes or McGroarty up there. Try Robertson again. Even Koivunen.
Novak's fine, but he isn't the fastest. Rakell is slow. They need some youth and/or speed up there https://t.co/LlFiCRSBhg
- 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.
ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 22: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks is defended by Tristan da Silva #23 of the Orlando Magic during the first half of the game at the Kia Center on November 22, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. The Magic defeated The Knicks 133 to 121. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not so fun fact: the Knicks are the first defending champion to start 0-2 since the 2011-12 Mavericks. They’ll try to get on track Sunday when they host the equally winless Orlando Magic.
After losses to a retooled Philly squad and the Tatum-led Celtics, the Knicks finally face a seemingly beatable opponent. Orlando will be without Paolo Banchero, sidelined for several weeks with a high ankle sprain. His absence weakens the Magic’s frontcourt, giving a Knicks team with its own frontcourt concerns an apparent advantage.
The last time these teams met was December 13, 2025, in the NBA Cup. The Knicks won 132-120. Jalen Brunson scored 40, Karl-Anthony Towns added 29, and OG Anunoby had 24. Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 26 and Banchero scored 25. New York controlled the game after finding their footing in the second half.
Freshman coach Sean Sweeney still seeks his first win to step out of Jamahl Mosely’s shadow. His club is averaging 109 points and allowing 123.5 through two games, and the defense that carried them last season has not yet shown up. Without Banchero, more of the load will need to be shouldered by Wendell Carter, Jr., Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane, and Suggs.
Wagner can still hurt New York with size and scoring bursts. Bane provides the shooting and secondary creation. Carter anchors the interior and crashes the glass. Suggs brings defensive energy and little spurts of scoring. Tristan da Silva, in his third year, will likely step into the starting group with Banchero sidelined.
The strategy for this tilt: harass the Fightin’ Disneys into turnovers and convert them into points; smash the glass; and plead with Mikal Bridges to make some shots. He’s 2-of-16 through two games which made him unplayable down the stretch in Boston.
The early season struggles have been more about execution than talent. The World Champions have looked sluggish so far. Brunson has not found his usual rhythm, and the offense has stalled in stretches. Miles McBride gave them a spark off the bench against Boston; they’ll need that kind of energy again if they continue to get blanks from their starting shooting guard. Towns stayed out of foul trouble in the last game, which helped.
Jose Alvarado is questionable with an ankle sprain for the good guys. Orlando is without Banchero (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee), Noah Penda (hamstring), and Izaiyah Nelson (ankle). Anthony Black is day-to-day with an ankle issue.
Both teams are coming off Friday losses with a day of rest. ESPN.com likes the Knicks at 69% percent, and so do we. Prediction: New York finally gets in the win column with a 12-point victory.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (0-2) vs Orlando Magic (0-2) Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026 Time: 7 PM ET Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC TV: NBA League Pass Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 24: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on October 24, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but a few great defensive stretches were enough to give the Spurs their first win of the season. The production from the starters was simply impossible for a Mavericks team missing Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving to match, as San Antonio pulled away late en route to a 122-106 victory on the road.
While they had some dominant moments in the second half, the winless Spurs didn’t look as hungry as expected early on, showing both a lack of execution that wasn’t surprising from a tired team in the second game of a back-to-back, but also lacking the sense of urgency of a contender that lost a tough game the night before should show. Fortunately, they were facing a shorthanded opponent who had also played on Friday, so even during the sloppy moments, they stayed close on the scoreboard. Aside from a few good stretches from Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell, who took advantage of a zone defense by hitting midrange jumpers, there wasn’t much that stood out from a seemingly uninspired San Antonio squad in the opening frame. Despite missing their two best players, the Mavericks didn’t struggle to keep it close.
The lack of hustle plays, the poor decision-making that led to opponent fastbreak points, and the lazy defense that led to fouling were still there in the second quarter. The Mavs were getting help from their bench guys, especially Sergio De Larrea, while the Spurs were struggling to find a spark. An 8-2 run from the home team, punctuated by a big dunk by Daniel Gafford off an offensive rebound, allowed them to create some separation, and the concerns about the matchup turning into a trap game were starting to creep in. The timeout that followed that play changed everything. Whatever Mitch Johnson said worked, because the focus and the energy improved massively, especially from Victor Wembanyama, who didn’t look like himself earlier. San Antonio played harder and, thanks to their superior talent, went on a 25-11 run to close the half.
After the break, the Spurs seemed determined to turn the game into a blowout. The defense was creating turnovers or missed shots, and the Mavericks didn’t have any answers. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn’t good enough on the offensive end, neither in transition nor in the half-court, to truly pull away. The Silver and Black did secure a double-digit lead, but it didn’t last long. As the starters went to the bench, the second unit struggled to keep up the defensive pressure, and De’Aaron Fox couldn’t carry the offense by himself. The buffer that took so much effort to create disappeared quickly, as the Mavericks won the frame and trailed by just three heading into the final period. San Antonio still looked in control, but it felt like the Spurs had let the opportunity to walk away with an easy win pass.
A dominant fourth quarter showed that, while the floor of the team is not where it’s supposed to be, as Mitch Johnson said postgame, this version of the Silver and Black still has a high ceiling that it can reach when necessary, even when unfamiliar faces are asked to contribute. Tarris Reed Jr. got his first NBA minutes, showing that the coaching staff was looking for energy wherever it could find it, and the rookie responded. Unlike the rest of the game, the team didn’t desperately need Wembanyama when he was resting, and when the Alien returned to the court, the lead had actually grown to nine points. Great defense, timely outside shots, and a good stretch from Wemby sealed the win. It was arguably later than it should have been, but San Antonio got to rest its rotation players for the last three minutes, on their way to emerging victorious for the first time this season.
Play of the game
De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama are finally developing more chemistry in the pick-and-roll, which is a joy to watch.
It was not a particularly good night for Wembanyama, despite what his impressive stat line in 29 minutes might suggest. Wemby has not looked as dominant as in past seasons so far and was subtly called out by Mitch Johnson for a lack of effort postgame. The Spurs still outscored the Mavericks by 32 points when he was on the floor, because his impact is almost always massive even when he doesn’t look spectacular, but we’ve still haven’t seen the real Wemby so far this season.
De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle had remarkably similar stat lines, as they both finished with 19 points, three rebounds and three steals, while Fox had one more assist (nine) than the young guard. Both made their mark on defense at times, and while the veteran balanced scoring and playmaking better, the two were essential at different stretches on offense.
The other two starters switched roles for one night. Devin Vassell had six assists (and no turnovers) but only hit one of his outside shots. Harper only had two assists, but he hit three outside shots. As long as the production is there, it doesn’t really matter who does what.
Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson provided defense, some scoring, and much-needed energy off the bench, but the second unit wasn’t great as a whole. The lineups that feature Fox and four subs put too much pressure on the point guard to create and be the main point-of-attack defender, so Mitch Johnson might need to find a new strategy if the struggles continue.
Relatedly, the decision to go with Reed Jr. in the fourth showed that the coaching staff is not actually scared to make tweaks when needed. Luke Kornet has had a rough start to the season and was terrible in Dallas, so the rookie got some minutes. Reed’s defense isn’t polished, but his rebounding and physicality should make him an alternative when the other option isn’t working out.
Next game: vs. Sacramento Kings on Tuesday
The schedule gets even softer for the Spurs, which should be 2-2 after hosting the lowly Kings, as long as they take them seriously enough.
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.
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.
D.J. Short
Matthew Pouliot
