Brewers Bash Past Rays Behind Woodruff’s Sharp Return

Brandon Woodruff’s return to the mound was everything the Milwaukee Brewers needed on Tuesday night at American Family Field, and frankly, it was a reality check for a Tampa Bay Rays squad that came to Wisconsin looking to make noise early in the season. The Brewers dispatched the Rays 6-2 in a game that looked far closer than it actually was, courtesy of some timely hitting and stellar pitching from the home team.

Woodruff Sets the Tone

Woodruff was magnificent in five innings of work, scattering four hits while striking out six batters and issuing zero walks. That’s the kind of efficiency that wins ballgames, and it gave the Brewers’ offense all the runway it needed to build a comfortable lead. Shane McClanahan, meanwhile, lasted just 4.2 innings for Tampa Bay, giving up six hits and three walks while fanning four. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good enough, and in a game this tight, that’s the difference between winning and going home empty.

The Rays struck first when Jonathan Aranda went deep in the opening inning, a solo shot that had Tampa Bay feeling confident. That early lead turned out to be fool’s gold. Nick Fortes added another solo homer in the fifth to keep the Rays within striking distance, but by then the Brewers had already taken control of the game.

The Fifth Inning Explosion

Here’s where things got interesting, and where the Rays’ defense fell apart. In the bottom of the fifth, Brice Turang delivered a crucial single to right field that should have been routine. Instead, a missed catch error by Cedric Mullins allowed three runners to score, and Turang was awarded second base after the Brewers challenged and the umpires got it right on review. That single play essentially put the game out of reach, turning a potential 2-1 Rays lead into a 5-2 Milwaukee advantage.

The Brewers weren’t done. Gary Sanchez, looking sharp behind the plate and in the batter’s box, crushed a solo homer in the sixth to make it 6-2. Brandon Lockridge followed with an RBI double to keep the offensive momentum rolling. Jake Bauers put an exclamation point on the victory with a solo blast in the eighth, because apparently the Brewers decided they needed to send a message with the long ball.

What’s maddening about this game from Tampa Bay’s perspective is that they had scoring opportunities and couldn’t capitalize. McClanahan pitched reasonably well considering the circumstances, but one inning of defensive miscues and timely hitting erased any chance the Rays had of winning. That’s baseball at its most cruel.

Milwaukee’s victory was built on the fundamentals: solid starting pitching, timely hitting, and forcing the issue when Tampa Bay’s defense showed cracks. It’s early in the season, but this is the kind of complete game performance that separates contenders from pretenders. The Brewers looked like the former on Tuesday night, while the Rays looked like they might be the latter.