Rays end sweep threat as Brewers bullpen fails in 12th

Aaron Ashby threw a scoreless ninth, 10th, and first two outs of the 11th inning on Tuesday night to break the single-postseason record for scoreless relief innings. The Milwaukee Brewers left-hander finished the night with 18 scoreless innings in nine appearances, shattering Andrew Miller's previous mark of 16 set in 2016. Despite this historic performance, Milwaukee lost 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4, keeping the series tied at two games apiece.

The record-breaking stretch began in the ninth inning, where Ashby retired the next three batters. He followed that with a perfect 10th inning and retired the first batter of the 11th before being replaced. His dominance extended to 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings when including regular-season play. Ashby entered the postseason with a 3.12 earned run average and 13 wins in 71 relief appearances during the regular season.

The game turned in the 12th inning after rookie Cooper Pratt hit a solo home run to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. The Brewers then turned the ball over to two less experienced pitchers. Antonio Senzatela was on the mound when third baseman Joey Ortiz threw a wild pitch on Junior Caminero's grounder, which allowed the runner to advance and scored the go-ahead run.

Reliever Shane Drohan entered next and gave up three consecutive singles to Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson. Those hits brought the score to 4-2, and the Rays held on for the win. The loss prevented the Brewers from completing a sweep of the series.

Ashby has been dominant in October, striking out 20 batters while allowing only five hits and three walks. This performance marked a sharp contrast to his previous postseason outings, where he allowed eight earned runs in 9 1/3 innings across 10 appearances in 2021, 2024, and 2025.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Tampa Bay. The series remains even, with both teams holding two victories.