ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- First things first: the Rays did what they had to do to win Game 4. Trailing 3-0 in the World Series means you do absolutely everything possible to survive and get to Game 5. You can't hold anything -- or anyone -- back because saving a pitcher for a game that never comes is a fool's errand.

I speak of Nick Martinez, the Rays' All-Star starter who was set to get the start in Game 5 of the World Series, if necessary. The Rays have had bullpen issues in the ALCS and World Series and desperately needed to keep this game under control from the feisty Brewers offense. Manager Kevin Cash was relying on a huge effort from Martinez and the rest of their bullpen.

He got it for most of the night, as Rays relievers worked eight of the 12 innings and allowed just one run on four hits. This was a night of redemption for that group. They had blown Game 1 of the ALCS, had trouble in Game 6 of that series, blew Game 2 of the World Series and were humiliated in Game 3. The mighty and relentless Brewers had been held at bay by the embattled group that seemed cooked just one night before.

And then the Rays walked it off in the 12th inning to win 4-3 and cut the Brewers' World Series deficit to 3-1. 

Martinez has been a versatile guy throughout his career. In the regular season, he's made 160 starts and 151 appearances in relief. He's had most roles; he even had eight saves in a season once. He pitched in Japan for four seasons. He's done it all. 

After throwing 73 pitches in five innings as the starter in Game 1 for the Rays, he was needed for six outs in this one. He was up to the task and held the Brewers in check. 

"Gritty. Gritty. We're dangerous," Martinez said after the game. "We have our backs against the wall…we know what we have to do. We can win four in a row. This team is capable of doing that."

Credit also goes to Rays closer Bryan Baker. He's had velocity issues and hadn't thrown more than an inning at a timesince Aug. 17. He worked two scoreless in this one. Kevin Kelly, Tyler Wells and Cam Booser also deserve to be shouted out for their scoreless work. Ian Seymour coughed up the go-ahead home run in the 12th, but that was all the damage he allowed, giving his team the shot to come back and win in the bottom of the inning.

"I can't say enough about Nick Martinez and the contributions he's made all season long. Then coming in on short rest and giving us two really solid innings," Cash said after the game. "Also Bryan Baker, those of you that follow us know that we generally keep Bake to one inning. We knew we have to win this game. His two innings were very helpful.

"We're going to get together after this session and sit down and talk about pitching. Going to check who's available. I'm going to guess most guys are going to say they're capable of an inning or more given it's Game 5 of the World Series, but nothing has been decided yet."

There are good vibes now in the Rays clubhouse for the first time this series. They avoided the sweep. 

Was this just a reprieve or, even grimmer, a stay of execution? The Brewers have Jacob Misiorowski waiting in the wings to start Game 5. The Rays have a giant question mark. 

Would they really turn around and start Martinez on zero days of rest after he threw 33 pitches in Game 4? Drew Rasmussen got knocked around pretty good in Game 2 and would be on short rest. His numbers on short rest in his career are awful (five runs in seven innings in four starts). Freddy Peralta just threw Game 3 and Griffin Jax started Game 4. 

It's really shaping up like a bullpen game and, for all the good that mentioned above, keep in mind just how shaky the Rays' bullpen has been outside of Tuesday night. The Rays are probably pretty well screwed for Game 5. 

Now, to be clear, in no way am I blaming Cash for burning Martinez. He absolutely had to do it. Too many of the bullpen alternatives inspired a low level of confidence after what we've seen recently. It felt inevitable that the Brewers were going to crush one of them. Again, you can't figure out Game 5 if you lose Game 4 and get swept. So Cash used Martinez and Baker for four innings combined and it worked well masterfully. 

Will be both available for Game 5? Maybe! The Rays are still facing elimination and everything needs to be on the table. It just looks like they'll be at a sizable disadvantage. 

The vibes are high in the home clubhouse in Tropicana Field, but for how long? Yeah, I'll call it a stay of execution. Kudos to the Rays for extending the series, but the Brewers are going to close things down in Game 5.