Tampa Bay just denied Philadelphia their third straight shot at clinching a wild-card spot, beating the Phillies 2-0 on Friday night. This was a crucial game, with the Phillies entering with a two-game lead over Arizona for an NL wild card and just three games left to play. A win here, combined with an Arizona loss, would have secured their fifth straight playoff berth. Instead, they’ve now lost their third straight, pushing any potential clincher back at least until Saturday.
Rays Show Why They’re AL East Champs
Freddy Peralta was absolutely dealing for Tampa Bay. He pitched into the sixth inning, striking out four and only giving up four hits over 5 1/3 innings, backing up his 10-11 record. Jonny DeLuca got things started with an RBI single in the first inning, and Nick Fortes slammed a homer in the second, giving the Rays all the offense they needed. Bryan Baker then locked it down, tossing a scoreless ninth for his 41st save. The Rays are clearly tuning up for the playoffs, already with home-field advantage locked up for the AL Division Series. There was a moment of concern when .300-hitter Chandler Simpson fouled a ball off his right foot, but he stayed in the game to finish his at-bat. Oh, and in a wild twist, MLB moved a Red Sox-Cubs game to Tropicana Field because of a storm threat in Boston.
Phillies Can’t Break Through When It Matters
Cristopher Sánchez pitched well for the Phillies, striking out 10 and walking just one in seven innings, despite picking up the loss to move his record to 18-7. But the Phillies’ big bats, which everyone knows can mash, just continued to shrivel under the September pressure. The real gut punch came in the sixth inning when Trea Turner and Bryce Harper led off with consecutive singles. You’re thinking, “Here we go, this is their moment!” But no. Alec Bohm grounded out, advancing the runners, only for Bryson Stott to line out to second. Then pinch-hitter Bryan De La Cruz lined out to shortstop, ending the threat and crushing any momentum.
So, the Phillies now look ahead to Saturday, where they’ll try again with a bullpen game against the same Rays team that just iced them. It’s crunch time, and they’ve got to find a way to get those bats going if they want to get that fifth straight playoff berth locked down. Every single pitch matters now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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