Rays Turn to Nick Martinez for World Series Game 1
The Rays reshuffled their World Series rotation on game day, handing the Game 1 ball to veteran Nick Martinez against Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski.
By The Beat Writer — CelebnMusic247
The biggest change since this matchup was set is on the mound, and it belongs to Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Rays will start Nick Martinez in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night at American Family Field, per the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Drew Rasmussen, the name penciled in earlier this week, is instead lined up for Game 2, per Yardbarker — a pivot forced by the calendar, after Rasmussen and trade-deadline prize Freddy Peralta both pitched earlier this week in the ALCS.
That is not a desperation move, and the numbers say so. Martinez, 35, went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA this season, per the Herald-Tribune, after rebuilding his career during four seasons pitching in Japan. Tampa Bay is betting that a veteran who has seen every kind of lineup can steal the first six innings of a series on the road, then hand the game to the deep bullpen that carried this club through October. It is a very Rays decision: unsentimental, matchup-driven, and quietly confident.
Milwaukee’s plan, by contrast, never changed. The Milwaukee Brewers start Jacob Misiorowski, who went 16-5 and led the majors with a 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts and an 0.802 WHIP, per the Herald-Tribune. He is the likely Cy Young winner, and the betting market knows it: Milwaukee was listed at -160 on the moneyline to Tampa Bay’s +135, with a total of just six runs, per BetMGM odds reported by the Herald-Tribune. A total that low is the market telling you it expects a pitchers’ night.
The rest of the picture has firmed up since the pennants were decided. Milwaukee arrives with a franchise-record 103 wins and a sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, per Yardbarker, with first baseman Jake Bauers carrying NLCS MVP honors and Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras driving the lineup. Tampa Bay won 98 games and beat Cleveland in six games in the ALCS, sealed by late home runs from Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz in the clincher, per the Herald-Tribune.
There is also a shared identity worth naming before first pitch. These are two of baseball’s smallest spenders — Milwaukee ranked 19th and Tampa Bay 28th in payroll this year, and neither has ranked in the top half since 2012, per the Herald-Tribune — and both finished in the bottom third of the league in home runs while still scoring in the top half. Neither club has ever won the World Series: this is Tampa Bay’s third trip after losses in 2008 and 2020, and Milwaukee’s first since 1982. Somebody’s drought ends in the next week.
Joe Davis and John Smoltz will call the series on FOX, with Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci reporting, per the Herald-Tribune. Game 2 follows Saturday night in Milwaukee before the series shifts to Tropicana Field on Monday.
The 247 Take — The Martinez switch looks like a downgrade only until you remember how Tampa Bay wins: shorten the game, stack matchups and save Rasmussen for a Game 2 the Rays can treat as a swing game either way. If Martinez gives them five clean innings tonight, the Rays will have played Game 1 exactly on their terms — even in a loss.
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Sources: Sarasota Herald-Tribune | Yardbarker | USA Today | NBC Sports
