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Fans criticized Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash after his comments about the team’s mistakes in their 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night.
The defeat left the Rays trailing 2-0 in the series. Tampa Bay made a strong start, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning against Brewers starter Logan Henderson. Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer, while Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero added RBI singles. However, the Rays were unable to hold on to their lead as pitching struggles and defensive mistakes allowed Milwaukee to fight back.
First baseman Jonathan Aranda misplayed a crucial foul pop-up, while other miscues on the basepaths and in the outfield also hurt Tampa Bay. After the game, Cash acknowledged the defensive issues and praised the Brewers’ performance. He also defended third base coach Brady Williams’ decision to send Hicks home from second on a two-out single to left field.
His comments drew criticism on social media, with several fans questioning the decision and arguing that the team needed greater accountability. One fan wrote on X:
“Maybe they’re losing because there’s no accountability.”
Mocking Cash’s take, another user commented:
Another follower took aim at Cash for defending the decision to send Hicks home:
Along similar lines, a few other fans chimed in:
The Rays lost 3-2 in Game 1 on Friday. With Tampa Bay trailing 2-0, the team will need to win four of the potential five games to claim the World Series.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Kevin Cash said that Tampa Bay had not played its best defensive baseball.
“We didn’t play our cleanest baseball game by any stretch. We pride ourselves on doing everything we can to support the pitchers and making plays behind them, and today was probably not our best day,” Cash said.
He also spoke about the Milwaukee crowd and expressed confidence that the Rays could respond in the next game:
“These Milwaukee fans have been really loud. I know our fans are gonna be really loud and excited to see us come back and kind of resetting ourselves a little bit. We got a really good pitcher going, as do they. But a lot of confidence in this club to respond. They’ve done it all season long, and they’ll continue to do it.”
The Tampa Bay Rays are scheduled to host the Brewers for Game 3 on Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.