MILWAUKEE -- The Tampa Bay Rays hope ace right-hander Drew Rasmussen will benefit from an extra day of rest as they look to even the World Series at one win apiece against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

Rasmussen, who originally was expected to start the opener, will be opposed by rookie right-hander Logan Henderson in a matchup of teams that have never won a World Series title.

The Brewers, whose only other World Series appearance was a seven-game loss in 1982, held on to win the opener 3-2 on Friday night when closer Trevor Megill struck out Johnny DeLuca with runners on second and third in the ninth inning.

The Brewers used their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, in Game 1, and he got the win. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed one run on four hits in five innings.

Now the Rays will hand the ball to their top starter in Game 2.

"We want him to be at full strength and feeling really good when he gets on the mound," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said of Rasmussen. "Our information tells us over many, many times of doing this that that extra day plays a huge benefit."

Rasmussen, who broke into the majors with the Brewers in 2020, has dominated in his three postseason starts this month. He is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the playoffs after going 9-0 with a 1.86 ERA in his final 12 regular-season starts.

Rasmussen allowed two runs on eight hits in six-plus innings in the opener of the American League Championship Series, although Cleveland rallied to win 7-3. Rasmussen came back to limit the Guardians to one run on four hits in seven innings in the Rays' 3-1 victory in Game 5.

In the AL Division Series opener against the Yankees, Rasmussen allowed just one hit over eight scoreless innings, striking out 10 in a 1-0 Rays victory.

In 2020 and part of the 2021 season with Milwaukee, Rasmussen appeared in 27 games, all in relief, going 1-1 with one save and a 5.01 ERA. He struck out 46 in 32 1/3 innings but walked 21.

"Had the Brewers been playing anyone else in the World Series, man, I'd be rooting for them," Rasmussen said. "It's a really unique, really cool matchup. I'm excited for this one. But ... we're here to do a job just as they are. I'm excited for their fan base and their organization, but at the end of the day, it is us they're competing against, and we really want to win a World Series as well."

Rasmussen, named to the AL All-Star team each of the past two seasons, finished second in the AL this year with 16 wins and fourth in ERA at 2.67.

The Rays, making their first World Series appearance since 2020, were 11-for-11 in stolen-base attempts in the first two postseason series, but Brewers catcher William Contreras threw out runners twice to end innings on Friday.

"Look, he's a very talented player on both sides of the ball," Cash said postgame. "We knew that coming in. Not surprised by anything that he did, but that's not going to change our aggressive approach, certainly on the bases."

Henderson started Game 2 in Milwaukee's first two postseason series, getting a no-decision in both although the Brewers won each game. The 24-year-old Houston native allowed a total of six runs (three earned) in nine innings while striking out six and walking five. The latter figure was surprising considering Henderson walked just 19 in 98 1/3 innings while going 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA over 18 regular-season starts.

"I think there's definitely value in having thrown it a couple games now rather than just getting activated and throwing the first time in the playoffs and the World Series, I think there's some value to it," Henderson said Friday.

Henderson missed about six weeks due to a lower back strain, but he went 9-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 13 starts after coming off the injured list on July 9. He finished 6-0 with a 1.84 ERA in eight home starts this year.