Overview
- The Rays announced on Monday that Jonathan Aranda and Liam Hicks would not start Game 3 at Tropicana Field and that Ryan Vilade would start at first base while Nick Fortes would catch.
- The move was framed as a matchup decision against Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser and leans on season splits showing Aranda and Hicks hit much worse against lefties.
- Aranda’s two defensive miscues in Game 2 — a dropped foul pop-up and a ground-ball error that produced a Brewers run — are part of the context for the decision but team messaging emphasized the lefty/righty matchups.
- Tampa Bay enters Game 3 down 2-0 in the World Series and the full lineup lists Yandy Díaz as DH with Vilade, Chandler Simpson, Junior Caminero, Ben Williamson, Jonny DeLuca, Víctor Mesa Jr., Nick Fortes and Taylor Walls in the starting nine.
- The change creates a tactical chess match: the Rays can use Aranda and Hicks as left-handed options off the bench if the Brewers move to right-handed pitching, and the teams’ pitching choices could quickly force further lineup and bullpen moves.