World Series Game 5 score, live updates: Brewers go for first title (again); Rays try to stay alive (again)

Generally speaking, fatigue from short rest shows up at the end of the pitcher's outing. He comes out of the gate looking like himself, then he tires out earlier than usual. If Rasmussen goes five innings tonight, that's an enormous win for the Rays. I'd consider four innings a great outcome. Also, excluding openers and bullpen games and all that, Rasmussen is the first pitcher to make a World Series start on short rest since David Price in 2018.

The Brewers couldn't pull off a World Series sweep, but that doesn't seem to be grating on the players ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday.

"Well, Sal's in there doing a crossword," Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. "Cooper's playing cards. He's trying to figure out a new card game, and Priester is just raking him. I don't know how much he's winning over him, but he's just raking him over the coals. Coop is like counting the cards. It's the 8 of hearts, and he's going one, two, three, four. It's an 8, Coop. You're fine. Quinn is just laughing, and he's taking his money."

The Rays are just the fifth team in MLB history to force a Game 5 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series. No one has ever forced a Game 6.

The Brewers, meanwhile, will send ace and presumptive National League Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski to the mound. Given those credentials, you might be tempted to label his 2026 playoff run a bit of a disappointment: he's allowed at least one earned run in all three starts and has completed five innings just once. The Brewers' pitching situation is far less tenuous than the Rays', but they're looking for their ace to step up tonight.

Obviously, the game dictates pitcher usage above all else and we can't yet know exactly how it will unfold. The following would be my rough outlines for how things could play out. 

Brewers

Jacob Misiorowski for five innings. Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe will be limited to no more than an inning. Trevor Megill could go an inning but has been shaky to count on for two. That would leave just three outs and DL Hall and JoJo Romero are both available. Despite the extra-inning loss, the Brewers are set up very well here.

Rays

I guess you have to hope Drew Rasmussen gets through five. I'll guess Nick Martinez and Bryan Baker are both available but limited to one inning. There are six more outs to get. Kevin Kelly and Cam Booser should be good for an inning each, too. It's not ideal, but there's a setup in here that looks good for the Rays. 

The Rays got stellar work out of their bullpen in Game 4, but that certainly hasn't been the case recently. Tonight, facing elimination again, they're looking for help from everyone.

"I think I'm going to hear from all of them at some point throughout the day that they're good to go and eager to help in whatever way possible," manager Kevin Cash said before the game.

It again seems very Brewers-heavy in the concourses, but I wonder if a little more than an hour to gametime, all the out-of-towners just got here far earlier than the locals. Even though there was a large, and loud, Brewers contingent last night, you could hear Rays fans plenty loud as well. It might've been around a 50-50 split eventually. 

Kevin Cash answered the actual biggest question of the day when he named Drew Rasmussen as the starting pitcher. Dayn Perry has more on that and the other storylines:

Biggest questions for World Series Game 5: How will the Rays get enough innings to avoid elimination (again)?

Dayn Perry

As good as he's been this postseason, Aaron Ashby may be showing some signs of fatigue. His sinker averaged 98.6 mph in the NLDS and NLCS. In his three World Series appearances, it's 98.0 mph, 97.7 mph, and 97.4 mph. If the Brewers have a chance to win tonight, I'm sure Ashby will be in the game, but that might be a big ask after 31 pitches last night and his overall workload these last few weeks. 

Yandy Díaz, DH
Jonathan Aranda, 1B
Junior Caminero, 3B
Liam Hicks, C
Jonny DeLuca, CF
Chandler Simpson, LF
Ben Williamson, 2B
Ryan Vilade, RF
Taylor Walls, SS

RHP Drew Rasmussen

Jackson Chourio, LF
Jake Bauers, 1B
Christian Yelich, DH
William Contreras, C
Brice Turang, 2B
Sal Frelick, RF
Cooper Pratt, SS
Garrett Mitchell, CF
David Hamilton, 3B

RHP Jacob Misiorowski