Brewers Aim for Title in Tampa as Dec. 1 Lockout Looms Over Baseball

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski will take the mound Wednesday night in Tampa Bay, where the team seeks a championship victory in Game 5 of the World Series. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. For the Tampa Bay Rays, this is their final scheduled home game. If the series extends, an off day is set for Thursday before play returns to Milwaukee.

The stakes for the sport extend beyond the pennant. Baseball owners are expected to lock out players on Dec. 1. This action could leave the sport without games until 2027, making Wednesday's contest potentially the last professional baseball of the year.

The Brewers face a familiar hurdle after a dramatic Game 4. Milwaukee led 3-2 in the bottom of the 12th inning, with team members reportedly preparing for a sweep. Tampa Bay scored a walk-off run to win 4-3. This result made the Rays the second team since the 1910 Cubs to win a World Series game on a walk-off while facing a sweep.

The series has created new historical records. It is the 14th consecutive World Series to avoid a sweep, the longest streak in Major League Baseball history. It is also the fifth series in history to reach Game 5 after one team took a 3-0 lead. No team has yet forced a Game 6 from that position.

In these playoffs, teams that score first have a 26-13 record. Clubs that hit more home runs than their opponents are 22-5. These statistics suggest that early scoring and power hitting are key factors in winning games.

DraftKings data identifies the most popular player bets for Wednesday. Misiorowski to record five or more strikeouts is the top prop, priced at -273. The Brewers used many relievers Tuesday, increasing the need for a long start from their ace. Misiorowski has not pitched beyond 5.1 innings since Sept. 8. In his last six starts, he has struck out at least five batters four times. He did not achieve that mark in Game 1 against Tampa Bay, where the Rays struck out only three times in five innings.

Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio is the second most-bet player. A bet on him to get at least one hit is priced at -295. Chourio is the -110 favorite for World Series MVP at DraftKings. He is batting .500 with 10 hits in four games. That total ties the World Series record set by Babe Ruth in 1928. Chourio has recorded at least two hits in every game of this series.

Two Rays hitters also draw heavy betting interest. Yandy Diaz, priced at -265 for a hit, has the shortest MVP odds for Tampa Bay at +4000. He is hitting .176 with a double and a run batted in. In his regular-season career, he is 1-for-5 against Misiorowski. Chandler Simpson, priced at -190 for a hit, is batting .375 with a double, two RBIs, and two stolen bases. He hit a key single in the 12th inning of Game 4.

The final major prop involves Rays shortstop Taylor Walls. Bettors are favoring him to finish with under 0.5 hits at -132. Walls is 0-for-9 with six strikeouts in the series. He is 0-for-2 against Misiorowski in regular-season play. He may be removed from the lineup for a pinch-hitter if Tampa Bay trails in the late innings.