The Tampa Bay Rays wrapped up their second series of the season, this time on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Disappointingly, there were some similarities to this three-game set as there were in their first one against another National League Central squad, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Rays lost both series, sitting at 2-4, but feeling as if they should be, at worst, 3-3 on the season.
How did Tampa Bay lose another series to begin the campaign? Here are four of the biggest takeaways for the Rays from their three games against the Brewers.
Offense Needs More Contact
Mar 31, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher Nick Fortes (40) hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Milwaukee’s pitching staff did a great job last season of striking out opponents. Their 1,432 strikeouts were the fifth most in the MLB. Tampa Bay was a middle-of-the-road team when it came to strikeouts last season, but in this series, they struggled putting the ball in play constantly.
After approaching a record for singles that is more than seven decades old against the Cardinals, their bats went quiet against the Brewers. In 98 at-bats, Rays hitters struck out 33 times.
The only player who received an at-bat in the series who didn’t strike out was Richie Palacios. Everyone else went down on strikes at least once.
On the bright side, Tampa Bay did hit five home runs in the series with three doubles and one triple. They also drew seven walks, becoming a true three-outcome team, but that isn’t how they were built to succeed.
Bullpen Woes
Feb 19, 2026; PortCharlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Griffin Jax (22) poses for a photo during media day. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
This is the most troubling development early in the season. The Rays would have at least one, if not two, more victories if their bullpen were not so susceptible to meltdowns early in the year.
Griffin Jax has been the biggest culprit. Expected to be a key part of the team’s high-leverage pitching situation, he has struggled mightily. In four outings, he has surrendered eight runs, five of which have been earned.
He hasn’t gotten a ton of help from his defense at points, but he has been incapable of stopping the bleeding once things start to unravel, either.
Cole Sulser also surrendered multiple runs in this series, as no early lead looks safe right now with how the relief staff is performing.
How Long Will Cedric Mullins Start?
Feb 19, 2026; PortCharlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) poses for a photo during media day. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
When Tampa Bay signed Cedric Mullins this offseason, they were hoping he could return to form and help stabilize the outfield. It is still too early to make sweeping assessments, but things could not have started worse.
He went 0-for-7 against the Brewers with six strikeouts. His slash line this season is .048/.078/.095 thus far through six games and 21 at-bats. Kevin Cash isn’t going to throw the towel in yet, but it is fair to wonder how long of a leash Mullins will have.
If Jacob Melton ever catches fire in Triple-A, the heat will be on Mullins.
Starting Pitching Can Be a Strength
Mar 31, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
There were some question marks about the team’s starting rotation coming into the season. Workload concerns were legitimate, and Ryan Pepiot began the year on the injured list. But this was the strength of the team against Milwaukee.
Nick Martinez, Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen were excellent against the Brewers. They combined to throw 15.2 innings, surrendering five earned runs on 10 hits and four walks. 15 strikeouts were recorded as they navigated some tough moments.
It was awesome seeing McClanahan back on a Major League mound after such a long layoff. He is projected to be toeing the rubber for the team’s home opener on April 6.