ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Drew Rasmussen will start for Tampa Bay on three days' rest in Game 5 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, trying to stave off elimination for the Rays.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Rasmussen threw 89 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in Game 2 on Saturday, getting no decision as Milwaukee rallied for a 5-4 victory and a 2-0 Series lead.
“Called Ras right after he’d left the ballpark, and he was 100% on board wanting the ball,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He held out from throwing a bullpen yesterday with this possibly in the back of his mind that he’s going to go out and prepare. I think Ras, knowing him, he’s pretty motivated to get back out there and give us what he can. He wasn’t satisfied with how maybe Game 2 went.”
Rasmussen has had three major elbow operations in his career, including Tommy John surgeries in 2016 and 2017 and an internal brace procedure in 2023. The two-time All-Star was 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA in the regular season, including 9-3 in 15 starts at home.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy didn't think short rest would impact the Rays' ace.
“Knowing Ras the way we know Ras and the type of warrior he is — he’s one of the best pitchers in the league,” Murphy said. “He pitches well here at home. I don’t think any of that affects anything.”
Rasmussen served as an opener for the Rays in 2024 and made short starts on two days' rest after relief appearances.
Jacob Misiorowski was set to start on four days' rest for the Brewers, who have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after wasting a 12th-inning lead in a 4-3 loss Tuesday.
Tampa Bay used seven pitchers Tuesday: starter Griffin Jax along with relievers Kevin Kelly, Game 1 starter Nick Martinez, Bryan Baker, Tyler Wells, Cam Booser and Ian Seymour.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was in the lineup, batting third, after leaving Tuesday night's game for a pinch runner in the 12th inning.
Caminero limped, favoring his left foot, after he reached leading off the 12th on an error. He went from first to third on Liam Hicks' single, then was replaced.
“He’s been dealing with some lower-extremity injuries, but there’s a lot of guys that are nicked up right now playing through a lot,” Cash said. "Know that Cammy will be ready to go today."
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Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero takes batting practice prior to Game 4 of baseball's World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen throws during first inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Democratic campaign for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat was involved in efforts to place on the ballot a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in a bid to confuse voters in a race that could determine which party controls the chamber, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The newspaper obtained text messages between members of Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign discussing recruiting other people with the same name as the two-term Republican their candidate was running against. They eventually landed on a retired schoolteacher in the small fishing community of Petersburg named Dan J. Sullivan. He made it through the state's August open primary and is one of four candidates on the ranked vote ballot for next Tuesday's general election.
Dan J. Sullivan has long denied he was running at Democrats’ behest and has said he had no contact with Peltola's campaign: “Zero, none, zilch,” he said in June after announcing his run.
He did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday from The Associated Press.
A top state elections official ruled Dan J. Sullivan ineligible for the ballot after he declared his candidacy, claiming it was “filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.”
The case went to the Alaska Supreme Court, which ruled he was qualified to run. The U.S. Constitution sets out only age, citizenship and residency requirements to run for the Senate.
President Donald Trump, who directed his Department of Justice to file a lawsuit last week pre-emptively contesting a Peltola win due to the presence of the second Dan Sullivan, called for legal penalties against Democrats over the situation: “Mary Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done,” Trump wrote on his social media site on Wednesday.
“Alaskans deserve the truth,” said Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan’s campaign. “Mary Peltola, her campaign and her senior advisers colluded with the DSCC, national Democrat lawyers and Alaska Democrat operatives to recruit candidates to deliberately confuse and deceive voters.”
Peltola's campaign, in a statement Wednesday, said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” They issued a similar statement in June after Sen. Sullivan questioned the other Sullivan's candidacy.
Democrats, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have repeatedly denied that they were involved in any campaign trick.
“The DSCC is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan," the organization said in a statement Wednesday. The Times report said DSCC staffers were on texts with the Peltola campaign discussing the second Sullivan.
Legal experts said the report about Democrats appearing to recruit Dan J. Sullivan as a way to potentially confuse voters will have no impact on a lawsuit filed recently by the U.S. Department of Justice. President Donald Trump directed the department to file the lawsuit, which seeks to halt certification of a possible Peltola win, citing the presence of the second Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
“It’s a dirty campaign trick, and it’s good reason the Alaska Supreme Court should have permitted the candidate to have been removed from the ballot,” said Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor. “But now it’s in the hands of the voters, not litigation.”
It's not the first time a candidate's appearance on the Alaska ballot has been questioned. In 2024, the state Democratic Party sued to keep off the U.S. House ballot a man with no apparent ties to the state who is serving time in a federal prison in New York. A divided state Supreme Court allowed him to remain on the ballot. The man is running again this year, also in the House race, and is on the Nov. 3 ranked vote general election ballot.
The Times story about the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan is based partly on interviews with Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who was fired in August amid a campaign shake-up. The newspaper said she tried to retract her comments last week. Efforts by the AP to reach Rios were not immediately successful.
As of Monday, 46,204 ballots had already been cast in Alaska, according to AP data. Sen. Sullivan is listed on the ballot as the Republican incumbent. The other Sullivan is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation.
Riccardi reported from Denver.
FILE - Dan Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska's U.S. Senate race who shares a name with the incumbent seeking reelection, talks in front of a welcome sign near downtown Petersburg, Alaska, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
In this photo shot with a smart phone, Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan poses ahead of a debate with Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska's Senate race, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
In this photo shot with a smart phone, Democrat Mary Peltola smiles ahead of a debate with Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska's Senate race, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
