Tampa Bay Rays vs Milwaukee Brewers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/23/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, October 23, 2026

Venue:  American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI 

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +134, Brewers -162; Over/Under:  6 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +135, Brewers -160; Over/Under:  6 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +135, Brewers -160; Over/Under:  6 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  98-64 (1st place, AL East)

Milwaukee Brewers:  103-59 (1st place, NL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Big Al McMordie is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 9-3 MLB RUN for +$6,170 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

Milwaukee Brewers:  9-1 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a win and won their best of 7-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 in the ALCS. They finished the regular season with a 98-64 record overall and had a road record of 43-38. This is the series opener of a best 4 out of 7 game series with the Brewers on Friday for the World Series. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .728 OPS. Freddy Peralta was their starting pitcher on Monday while Drew Rasmussen is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA this season. His team won 14 of their last 15 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 BB with 6 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings played against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Brewers are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their best of 7-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS. They finished the regular season with a 103-59 record overall and had a home record of 55-26. This is the 1st game of a best 4 out of 7 game series with the Rays on Friday for the World Series. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .744 OPS. Rookie pitcher Shane Drohan was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Jacob Misiorowski is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA this season. His team won their last 11 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 5 Ks on 5 hits through 4.1 IP against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The current betting odds have the Brewers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Brewers have looked great in their games this season with their 103-59 record overall which had them right at the top of the NL Central with the best record in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 55-26 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 98-64 record overall which had them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 43-38 road record this year. The Rays are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they just came back down 2-1 in the ALCS against the Guardians to win that series, but they still haven't been at their best in road games this year and the Brewers have also been rolling lately. The Brewers have looked like the best team in the playoffs, now 9-1 in their last 10 games, and they have a ton of momentum on their side after sweeping the big bad Dodgers in the NLCS. Misiorowski is going to be on the mound for the Brewers in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs all year. He has been great in the playoffs too, only giving up 1 earned run in his last start which has been a common theme for him all year, and the team has been having a ton of success with him too, winning 11 games in a row now with him starting. The Rays are going with Rasmussen in this one and he has also looked great this season. He is 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA and the team has been having a ton of success with him too. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has won 14 of their last 15 games with him starting. The Brewers do have a big advantage though with rest on their side and they have been one of the best home teams in the league all season, so look for the Brewers to edge out the Rays at home with their ace on the mound. The best way to place a bet here is on the Brewers to win this game. 

Rays Brewers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, October 23, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Brewers 2 Rays 1.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Tampa Bay Rays Milwaukee Brewers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Tampa Bay Rays: 20-25 (-5 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 19-29 (-8.9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 62%). 6-12 (-6.1 units) on the moneyline vs. a starting pitcher whose winning percentage is better than 70%. 25-17 UNDER against NL Central opponents.

Milwaukee Brewers: 28-17 (+12.3 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 304-203 (+69.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 198-112 (+36.5 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 10-5 UNDER against AL East opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays:  G. Jax (SP) Day To Day - Back. C. Simpson (LF) Day To Day - Foot. T. Wells (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. J. Melton (LF) Sixty Day IL - Hamstring. G. Cleavinger (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. S. McClanahan (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

Milwaukee Brewers:  J. Ortiz (SS) Day To Day - Ankle. A. Vaughn (1B) Ten Day IL - Illness. G. Anderson (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Biceps. B. Woodruff (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. Q. Priester (SP) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. B. Fitzpatrick (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Zerpa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm.

“This group, they’ve been a complete joy to be around all season long. I know they’re very, very motivated. I heard the line that we don’t have any Hall of Famers in that room right now -- we might, but not yet. But I can assure you we have a lot of gamers, and we’re excited to get up there to Milwaukee.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Guardians in game 6 of the ALCS on Monday. 

“They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we’ve got a bunch of gamers. And the gamers won this week.” - Pat Murphy after his team’s win against the LA Dodgers in game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday.

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Liam Hicks (L) C

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Jackson Chourio (R) LF

Brice Turang (L) 2B

William Contreras (R) C

Jake Bauers (L) 1B

Christian Yelich (L) DH

Garrett Mitchell (L) CF

Cooper Pratt (R) SS

Sal Frelick (L) RF

David Hamilton (L) 3B

Batting Average:  Chandler Simpson (.306)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (180)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (42)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (101)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (46)

Wins:  Drew Rasmussen (16)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (41)

ERA:  Bryan Baker (1.44)

Batting Average:  Jihwan Bae (.500)

Hits:  Brice Turang (156)

Home Runs:  Jake Bauers (26)

RBI:  Brice Turang (100)

Stolen Bases:  David Hamilton (30)

Wins:  Jacob Misiorowski (16)

Saves:  Trevor Megill (30)

ERA:  Easton McGee (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)

Milwaukee Brewers: Pat Murphy (3rd season)