00:00How ironic is it that it's got to be Freddie Peralta, long-time former Milwaukee Brewer,
00:06that really needs to step up and save this Tampa Bay season?
00:11By the way, he wasn't even on Tampa to start the year.
00:14He was one of those trade deadline acquisitions, and it's worked great for both guys.
00:20But just how ironic is it, Craig, that it comes back full circle,
00:25that he's got to beat his former team there, the Milwaukee Brewers,
00:29in order to keep the postseason hopes alive.
00:32Yeah, I hope he does well, and I can see it.
00:35I mean, he has definitely pitched his best baseball of the season
00:39and maybe of his early career.
00:42Of course, the middle of his career, he was going seven, eight innings every game.
00:45It was a different Freddie Peralta.
00:46But in this situation, it's like, pray to get five, and that's what you get.
00:50You can see his outs there, 14 and a half.
00:54So, I mean, basically, Peralta goes five innings, you win,
00:58and anything less you lose, you sort of feel like there's a chance he goes five innings today.
01:01And look, you know, there is no Mizorowski.
01:03There is no Henderson.
01:04So, we're at the point now where you would think that Tampa Bay has got a good shot,
01:08but the odds are sort of telling you that the oddsmakers are not willing to let you take
01:13Milwaukee as a dog because they just keep coming and keep coming.
01:17I mean, the Dodgers said it.
01:19We're seeing it there.
01:20So, you're really not going to feel comfortable in this game if you take Tampa Bay
01:24until there's three outs in the top of the ninth inning and Baker is on the mound.
01:28I mean, the Rays have to somehow get to Baker, Joe.
01:31I mean, that has been the issue.
01:33Maybe in this situation, they go all hands on deck and bring Baker in the eighth if they have a
01:38lead.
01:38They may have to do this to try and get their win.
01:40And just to show you exactly what the Rays are up against here, so, the last team to win the
01:47World Series
01:49after losing the first two games on the road, so, meaning Tampa lost their first two games in Milwaukee
01:56and then would come back to win the World Series.
01:58The last time that's happened, 1981.
02:02Wow.
02:02So, I don't remember.
02:04I mean, I have vague memories of this, and I can tell you who was on the team
02:08because I remember the Dodgers and I remember the Yankees, but the Dodgers lost two games in the Bronx
02:14and then came back and beat the Yankees four straight games.
02:18So, each of the last 17 teams that went down 0-2 in the World Series lost the World Series.
02:24So, that's what they're up against.
02:26But, you know, I certainly remember all those teams.
02:30You know, what is escaping me is I believe Reggie was on those teams,
02:36but I don't remember, like, did he get hurt or something?
02:39Did he not play in the playoffs?
02:40I got to take a look at that one because I know in 78 he hit all those home runs.
02:43But that 81 Yankees team was a really good team, and that 81 Dodgers team was, you know,
02:49that run that the Dodgers had of being so good, too.
02:52I mean, those were some classic series.
02:54But, yeah, look, in a regular season situation, this was crazy about this whole thing.
03:01In a regular season situation, if you had this matchup today in St. Petersburg,
03:06the Rays would be minus 130.
03:08They'd be minus 130, minus 140.
03:09They would.
03:10I mean, it's just a fact.
03:11They have a good pitcher on the mound.
03:13They're at home.
03:14They should be a little bit of a favorite.
03:16You can't give plus to the Brewers at this point.
03:20You really can't.
03:22No, you can't.
03:24And the books are never going to allow you to do that at all.
03:27I think it's going to be.
03:30I think early matters in this series, and I think and we watched it's not going to be
03:36good enough, I think, for Tampa to play from in front, Greg, right?
03:40Because they just did that.
03:41Apparently not.
03:43Very well.
03:44So, you know, I think they've got to keep it close.
03:47And again, if you don't get to Gasser, and they're not exactly, they haven't been great
03:52against lefties, and we know they can roll out a whole bunch of lefties, but I'm going
03:57to be fascinated to see what Murphy does in the sixth, seventh, you know, if Gasser
04:03only goes three innings or four, I'm going to be very interested to see how he deploys
04:08guys in a close game late.
04:10Because at some point, if you're Tampa Bay, you need to hit Ashby.
04:14You need to get something going against this guy.
04:18Otherwise, Greg, he may pitch in every game.
04:21And am I crazy to think that he could be considered an MVP candidate?
04:26Because he is unhittable, right?
04:28It's unbelievable to me, the kind of post.
04:31And it wasn't just, this isn't new.
04:33He did this to the Dodgers.
04:35Like, it's unbelievable how good he has been.
