ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A week ago Tuesday morning, the Tampa Bay Rays woke up as American League champions.
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Tonight, they look to avoid a humbling four-game sweep in the World Series.
The Rays host the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the Fall Classic, hoping to extend their season another night.
After two close games over the weekend in Milwaukee, the Rays fell apart in the fifth inning and watched a 2-0 deficit to the Brewers become a 10-0 beatdown. The Rays scored a lone run in the ninth to avoid a shutout but otherwise mustered little offense against Milwaukee’s pitching.
Tampa Bay will send Griffin Jax to the mound Tuesday night, with first pitch set for just after 8 p.m.
Of 43 teams to trail 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason matchup, only the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series rebounded to win.
“It’s kind of that chip and a chair mentality,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve got a seat at the table. We’ve got to do something with the chip. Obviously, the only thing we can do is win tomorrow.”
Jax said he’ll put the Series deficit out of his mind when he starts Game 4 on Tuesday.
“We just got our butts kicked tonight. I don’t think there’s really much else to say,” Jax explained. “We’ll just kind of forget it and try to sleep it off and come back tomorrow ready to fight.”
The gates open at Tropicana Field at 5 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.