Peralta faces former team as World Series heads to St. Petersburg

The World Series moves from Milwaukee to the Tampa Bay area on Monday, and the Rays will hand the ball to a pitcher who knows the other dugout better than almost anyone. Freddy Peralta, who spent eight seasons with the Brewers before being traded in January, is scheduled to start Game 3 against his former club at Tropicana Field, MLB.com reported in its Game 3 preview.

The Brewers won the first two games at American Family Field, 3-2 and 5-4. That leaves the Rays, the American League's top seed, needing to win four of the next five games. NewsCubby's recap of Game 2 is available separately.

When is Game 3, and how can I watch it?

First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 26, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. According to MLB.com, the game is on FOX in English and FOX Deportes in Spanish, and it streams on FOX One. MLB.com said viewers in the United States can also watch on MLB.TV with a pay-TV login, and the game airs on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.

MLB.com's ground-rules explainer says the Trop's roof can't be opened, so the game will be played indoors regardless of weather.

Why is Freddy Peralta's start notable?

Peralta came up with the Brewers and went 70-42 with a 3.59 ERA for them from 2018 to 2025, earning two All-Star selections, according to the AP. Milwaukee traded him to the New York Mets in January for Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. The Mets later sent him to Tampa Bay for a package of prospects that included Aidan Smith, Émilien Pitre and Gary Gill Hill, the AP reported.

He is now facing a group he knows well. CBS Sports, citing Field Level Media, reported that Peralta was teammates last season with 17 of the 26 players on Milwaukee's World Series roster. MLB.com noted that he and Christian Yelich both joined the Brewers in 2018.

Peralta said pitching against Milwaukee "is a little weird," the AP reported. Asked what went wrong in New York, he said, "Sometimes I ask the same question myself." He also said he knows "how special it is" to pitch on the mound in Milwaukee.

His only previous start against the Brewers did not go well. Pitching for the Mets on July 20, he allowed seven runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings in an 8-3 loss, with Cooper Pratt and Andrew Vaughn homering, CBS Sports reported. Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff said, according to the AP, "We knew when he faced us (with) the Mets, that wasn't him."

Since then, Peralta's numbers have changed sharply. MLB.com reported he is 7-0 with a 0.89 ERA in 10 games, nine of them starts, since Aug. 26, and that he has a 1.45 ERA in seven starts at Tropicana Field since the trade. According to CBS Sports, Tampa Bay has won his last nine starts. In the postseason he is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA, allowing two runs in 16 2/3 innings, CBS reported, and the AP noted he was named MVP of the American League Championship Series. He will pitch on six days of rest, according to CBS.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he felt Peralta had "kind of come back to being Freddy Peralta" in Tampa Bay, the AP reported. Asked what he hoped for on Monday, Cash told reporters he wanted "a seven-inning boost," ideally around 105 pitches, with Peralta leaving with a lead, CBS reported.

Peralta was born in Moca, Dominican Republic, according to his MLB.com player profile. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Peralta is "in his element" and called him "Fastball Freddy," the AP reported.

Who is pitching for the Brewers?

Milwaukee is starting Robert Gasser, a 27-year-old left-hander. According to MLB.com, Gasser opened the season at Triple-A Nashville and has gone 2-0 with a 1.51 ERA in eight appearances since Aug. 26. That run began at Citi Field in New York when he replaced Dustin May, who was hit by a comebacker on the first pitch of the game.

MLB.com reported that Gasser started the clinching Game 4 of the National League Division Series against San Diego and Game 3 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing one run in nine innings across those two starts. CBS Sports said he hasn't pitched since Oct. 14, when he threw five scoreless innings against the Dodgers, and has never faced the Rays. "It starts with strikes," Gasser said, according to CBS.

How have the bullpens and lineups looked?

The Brewers' bullpen has been the story of their October. MLB.com reported that Milwaukee is the first team since the save became an official statistic in 1969 to record eight saves in a single postseason, and that its relievers have a 1.24 ERA through 10 playoff games. Left-hander Aaron Ashby has not allowed a run in 15 2/3 postseason innings, according to MLB.com. CBS Sports noted he is one out shy of Andrew Miller's 2016 record of 16 scoreless innings to begin a postseason.

Cash summed up Milwaukee's late-inning trio to reporters as "three names: (Abner) Uribe, (Aaron) Ashby and (Trevor) Megill," CBS reported.

At the plate, catcher William Contreras is 15-for-38 (.395) with three home runs and seven RBIs this postseason, CBS reported. MLB.com said his 15 hits lead all players in the playoffs.

For Tampa Bay, MLB.com said the Rays have run into avoidable outs and made uncharacteristic defensive mistakes, leaving them with a minus-2 run differential in the series. CBS Sports reported the Rays are 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and have scored one run after the fourth inning across the two games. Star third baseman Junior Caminero said that if you give up outs against Milwaukee, "they're gonna use that against you," MLB.com reported. On the positive side, CBS noted that Jonathan Aranda is 9-for-20 over his last five games.

MLB.com's projected lineups, posted Sunday, have Yandy Díaz leading off for Tampa Bay as the designated hitter and Jackson Chourio leading off for Milwaukee. Official lineups are usually released a few hours before first pitch.

On injuries, MLB.com said Rays starter Shane McClanahan has been ruled out for the postseason. Woodruff is on Milwaukee's World Series roster but has not pitched since July 4.

What does history say about teams down 0-2?

The numbers favor Milwaukee, though they don't settle anything. According to MLB.com, 46 of the 57 teams that took a 2-0 lead in the World Series won the title, which is 80.7%. In best-of-seven series, the figure is 45 of 55. CBS Sports, citing Field Level Media, said the last team to win the World Series after losing the first two games was the 1996 New York Yankees.

The Rays have rallied already this October. MLB.com noted that they trailed Cleveland 2-1 in the ALCS before winning three straight games. Tampa Bay is 59-27 at home this season counting the playoffs, including 4-1 in October, according to CBS.

On the Brewers' side, rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt, whose seventh-inning RBI single decided Game 2, said, "As long as there's game left, we have a chance," MLB.com reported.

What's different about Tropicana Field?

Monday's game is the first World Series game at the Trop since Oct. 23, 2008, when the Rays won Game 2 against Philadelphia for the first World Series victory in franchise history, MLB.com reported. The 2020 World Series, the Rays' other appearance, was played at a neutral site, Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The ballpark nearly didn't make it this far. Hurricane Milton tore the roof off in October 2024, and the Rays played the 2025 season outdoors at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, according to MLB.com. Bay News 9 reported that the St. Petersburg City Council approved $59.7 million for repairs, that the final cost came in at $58 million, and that FEMA, insurance and state grants covered more than half. The work included 24 new roof panels, the city's project manager, Beth Herendeen, told the station.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch called the stadium "a great symbol of resilience" in an interview with MLB.com. Baseball returned to the building on April 6, MLB.com reported, and the Rays' new ownership group is planning a new ballpark in Tampa for 2029.

The Trop's catwalks also come with special rules. According to MLB.com's ground-rules explainer, a fair ball that hits either of the two lower catwalk rings (C and D) is a home run, while one that hits the upper A or B rings stays in play. MLB.com cited the Rays' media guide as saying 200 fair balls had hit the catwalks entering 2026.

What we know

- Game 3 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One (MLB.com). - The Brewers lead the series 2-0 after winning 3-2 and 5-4 in Milwaukee. - MLB.com lists Freddy Peralta (Rays) and Robert Gasser (Brewers) as the starters.

What we don't know yet

- Official lineups. MLB.com's are projections. - Both teams' Game 4 starters. MLB.com said it was unclear whether Griffin Jax would work out of the Rays' bullpen or start Game 4. As of early Monday, MLB's official schedule listed no probable starters for Game 4. - Whether Woodruff will pitch in the series.

What happens next

Game 4 is Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Game 5, if needed, is Wednesday, Oct. 28. Both are at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, according to MLB.com's World Series schedule. If necessary, Games 6 and 7 would be in Milwaukee on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. If Milwaukee wins both Monday and Tuesday, the series ends in four games. Either way, a franchise will win its first championship: MLB.com notes that both the Brewers and the Rays are among the five teams that have never won the World Series.

*Credits: reporting from MLB.com, CBS Sports/Field Level Media, The Associated Press (via FOX Sports) and Bay News 9. NewsCubby articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed by humans.*