The Tampa Bay Rays cannot pin their World Series Game 1 loss on the final swing alone. Friday’s 3-2 loss vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field reflected missed opportunities that accumulated long before their ninth-inning comeback ended.

Tampa Bay went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and enter Saturday night’s Game 2 trailing the series 1-0. The Rays had chances to steal the opener, but their failure to capitalize in pivotal moments left the comeback unfinished.

Three Rays deserve the most scrutiny for the missed opportunities that cost Tampa Bay the opener.

Jonny DeLuca

Jonny DeLuca deserves the most scrutiny because he had two opportunities to deliver the tying run and finished neither.

In the fourth inning, DeLuca stranded Junior Caminero at third with an inning-ending flyout. In the ninth, after a replay review overturned an out at second on an apparent game-ending double play, he struck out swinging against Trevor Megill with runners on second and third.

That final at-bat was the most visible failure, but the earlier chance matters just as much. The Rays needed production before their situation became desperate. DeLuca finished 0-for-4 on Friday, leaving Tampa Bay without an offensive contribution from a hitter who repeatedly encountered consequential situations.

His unsuccessful diving attempt on Christian Yelich’s first-inning triple should receive more measured treatment. That was a difficult defensive chance, not a routine play that automatically makes him responsible for Milwaukee’s early advantage.

The stronger criticism concerns his bat. Twice, one timely hit could have changed the game’s direction.

Victor Mesa Jr.

Victor Mesa Jr.’s fifth-inning base-running gamble was the Rays’ most avoidable mistake.

With two outs, Mesa tried stealing third while Yandy Diaz was batting. William Contreras threw him out, ending the inning with the Rays trailing 2-1.

Mesa was already in scoring position. Advancing another base offered limited benefit with two outs, while getting caught eliminated Diaz’s opportunity to bring him home.

Aggression can create offense, but this attempt asked Tampa Bay to accept substantial risk for a marginal improvement. Against pitching that allowed few openings, preserving the chance already available should have taken priority.

Mesa helped create an opportunity by reaching base. His decision then erased it before Diaz could finish the plate appearance.

Kevin Kelly

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Kevin Kelly’s responsibility is narrower, but Milwaukee’s seventh-inning insurance deserves attention.

Chourio singled home Cooper Pratt against Kelly, pushing the Brewers’ advantage to 3-1. That additional run increased the burden on Tampa Bay’s ninth-inning rally.

Pratt was an inherited runner, so Kelly was not charged with the run. Nevertheless, preventing inherited runners from scoring is part of a reliever’s assignment, and Kelly did not escape that matchup.

Kevin Cash’s decision to call on Kelly was defensible, but the reliever failed to secure the crucial out before Milwaukee extended its lead.

The Rays do not need a dramatic reinvention for Game 2. They need sharper execution from the players who encountered Friday’s biggest moments.

DeLuca’s empty opportunities, Mesa’s unnecessary gamble and Kelly’s unsuccessful escape left Tampa Bay chasing a deficit it could not overcome vs. the Brewers. A competitive loss still demands accountability when the chances to change it were there.