Tampa Bay Rays: 5 takeaways from Game 2 of the World Series

Tampa Bay Rays are on the board with a win in World Series Game 2.

The Tampa Bay Rays recovered from a heavy defeat in game one to tie the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Arlington. A 6-4 win sees the series become a best-of-five from here. There was much to like about Wednesday night’s performance after a disappointing start in game one.

Everything that was wrong about Tuesday’s defeat was addressed: pitching was excellent, batters were less reliant on one big hit and the Rays’ defense was back on point.

For the Dodgers, they looked vulnerable in both pitching and batting. It was a marked contrast to their 8-3 win and their body language suggested that the series was very much alive. The Dodgers’ bullpen was exposed, by the Rays, and their star batters wilted under pressure.

Kevin Cash will be particularly pleased by the response of the entire Rays franchise. Also, his decision making was excellent after a less than inspiring opening game.

Despite having many things to like about game two, here are five takeaways for Rays fans.

Blake Snell pitched a great game for the Rays

After Tyler Glasnow’s less than impressive performance in game one, the pressure was on Snell to deliver in World Series Game 2. And didn’t he deliver? After four innings, the Dodgers were without a hit. Snell had resisted the likes of Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager.

To highlight the success of Snell against the Dodgers, Stats Perform dug through the record books to find this comparison:

By the time that Snell was pulled after 4.2 innings, he had nine strikeouts and just two hits. Even though Chris Taylor’s two-run homer in the fifth tainted Snell’s figures, he had still pitched a great game.