Only six teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series in the last 40 years. The Tampa Bay Rays will aim to become the seventh as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers this World Series. But to do that, they have a primary problem to fix before Game 3.

“You cannot give any extra outs. Whether it’s a dropped pop-up or an error, they have to play extremely clean baseball the rest of the way because it does feel like Milwaukee is going to continue to put runners on throughout the game. They’re going to steal bases,” said former player Trevor Plouffe on Talkin’ Baseball. “So if you give them extra outs, they’re going to continue to score. They can’t have that.”

The Fall Classic shifts to Tropicana Field for the next two games, and the Rays must seize the home-field advantage. The Rays played a three-game set against the Brewers at American Family Field from March 30 to April 1 and lost 2-1. It is the only time they played against each other in the 2026 regular season.

While the Brewers hold an impeccable 48-33 record in away games, the Rays are 55-26 at home. The Brewers have not played at the Trop, and the Rays can weaponize their familiarity with the ballpark against Milwaukee.

However, for that strategy to work out, the Rays must fix their own issues first, and it starts with playing clean.

Though the Brewers have made mistakes of their own, like when Cooper Pratt was unable to turn a game-ending double play in Game 1 when he failed to keep his foot at second base or David Hamilton getting thrown out at third, the lapses even piled up more for the Rays. Manager Kevin Cash has also admitted to it.

“We didn’t play our cleanest baseball game by any stretch,” Cash told the reporters after Game 2, per CBS Sports. “We pride ourselves on doing everything we can to support the pitchers and making plays behind them. Today was probably not our best day.”

The Rays took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 2, following RBI hits from Junior Caminero and Chandler Simpson. Then, Liam Hicks stunned the Brewers’ starter, Logan Henderson, with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-0.

But continued defensive lapses did not help their case, as the Brewers began their comeback from the bottom of the first.

The Rays ultimately blew their lead. It started when the Rays’ first baseman, Jonathan Aranda, let a foul pop-up slip, helping William Contreras stay at the plate longer.

Contreras did not waste the opportunity, as he hit an RBI single to break open the scoreboard for the Brewers. Later, Garrett Mitchell’s hit helped chip away at the lead.

While Aranda wasn’t charged with an error for missing the pop-out, that was not the case later in the game.

In the fourth inning, the 1B allowed a routine grounder by David Hamilton to slip between his legs, helping Cooper Pratt score. It chipped away at the lead even more, with the Rays leading 4-3.

“I didn’t read the spin off the bat well,” Aranda explained postgame, per MLB.com. “I thought it was going to tail in a different direction, and it ultimately didn’t. So I just kind of whacked it with my glove. It was a play that I could have made.”

In the sixth inning, Chandler Simpson also dropped a pop fly, helping Christian Yelich stay in the game. Simpson’s mistake allowed the Brewers to put runners at first and third with two outs.

The Rays’ lapses continued as Liam Hicks got thrown out at home plate, following a single. While Hicks’ attempt at scoring was understandable, he was out by a mile.

The Brewers capitalized on the Rays’ mistakes, and once Milwaukee’s bullpen took over, Tampa’s offense could not catch up.

The Brewers came from behind to win the game 5-4. Aaron Ashby closed the game for Milwaukee. This postseason, Ashby is yet to allow a run in 15.2 innings.

The Brewers are now only two wins away from becoming the World Series champions. Milwaukee’s comeback, fueled by Tampa’s defensive mistakes, demonstrates the razor-thin margin for error in a 2-0 series deficit. They must bounce back in Game 3.

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