Tag: MLB Playoffs

PHOENIX — Michael Conforto and Brett Wisely each hit three-run homers in San Francisco’s six-run third inning, and the Giants won their fifth straight against playoff contenders by crushing the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-0 on Tuesday night.

The Giants have nearly perfected the role of spoiler recently, going 7-1 against Baltimore, Kansas City and Arizona. San Francisco stretched its season-high winning streak by bashing five homers against the Diamondbacks, including three off Brandon Pfaadt (10-10) in the first three innings.

Patrick Bailey hit a solo homer in the second inning, Conforto launched his 20th in the third and Wisely followed with his three-run homer to put the Giants up 7-0.

Tyler Fitzgerald hit a two-run homer and Heliot Ramos added a solo shot among his four hits. Logan Webb (13-10) allowed four hits in six scoreless innings.

The Diamondbacks lost their third straight and had their lead over Atlanta, a 5-1 winner over the New York Mets, drop to a half-game for the final NL playoff spot with four games remaining.

Pfaadt bounced back from an ugly start — eight runs in 1 2/3 innings — by striking out 12 in a win over Milwaukee his last start.

The right-hander followed with another shaky outing.

Pfaadt gave up Bailey’s eighth homer of the season in the second inning and got some help later in the inning from right fielder Corbin Carroll, who reached over the wall to steal a three-run homer from Mike Yastrzemski.

No one had a chance on Conforto’s shot in the third, a three-run blast off the overhang in left-center. Wisely followed a fielding error by Arizona shortstop Geraldo Perdomo with his three-run shot off Blake Walston.

Pfaadt allowed five runs — four earned — on six hits in 2 2/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: C Gabriel Moreno went 0 for 3 after missing Monday’s game with an oblique strain. … RHP Ryne Nelson is expected to come off the injured list soon after missing two weeks with shoulder inflammation.

UP NEXT

Giants RHP Mason Black (1-4, 5.88 ERA) faces Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (13-6, 3.74) in the series finale on Wednesday.

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NEW YORK — Brandon Nimmo hit a tiebreaking, sixth-inning home run off Zack Wheeler that sailed just over the glove of leaping right fielder Nick Castellanos, and the New York Mets beat Philadelphia 2-1 on Sunday night to prevent the Phillies from clinching the NL East at Citi Field.

Edwin Díaz got his second career six-out save, his first since since Aug. 4, 2022. He stranded Trea Turner at third when Alec Bohm grounded out in the eighth and Bryson Stott at third in the ninth when Kody Clemens struck out.

“We’ve been protecting him the whole year and now it’s big boys time,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

New York (87-69) took three of four from the Phillies and has won 18 of its last 23 games to move a season-high 18 games over .500. The Mets passed Arizona into the second of three NL wild card slots, ahead of the Diamondbacks because they won the season series 4-3, and stayed two games ahead of the Braves (85-71). New York finishes the regular season with three games each at Atlanta and Milwaukee.

Philadelphia (92-64) needs one win in its last six games to clinch its first NL East title since 2011. The Phillies host the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series starting Monday night.

“Hopefully we get it done because that’ll be exciting,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Nimmo led off the sixth with his 22nd homer, breaking a 1-1 tie when he pulled a first-pitch fastball over the 8-foot fence.

“This is playoff atmosphere, playoff baseball and really you see how much more every pitch means in these games,” Nimmo said. “These guys are just rising to the challenge and it’s just a beautiful thing to see.”

Before a boisterous crowd of 43,139, the second straight Citi Field sellout but just the fifth this season, Tylor Megill allowed four hits over four innings, and Phil Maton (3-3), Joey Butto and Díaz combined for, and Díaz got his 20th save in 26 chances this season.

Francisco Alvarez’s throw on Stott’s steal hit third base put popped up by third baseman Mark Vientos, who grabbed the ball with his bare hand after a bounce, forcing Stott to hold.

“I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen that,” Thomson said.

Mets star Pete Alonso, eligible for free agency after the World Series, was given a standing ovation when he walked to the plate in the first inning. Alonso tipped his helmet and tapped it to his heart. He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and was given another standing ovation in the eighth.

“It’s right out of a storybook for me,” Alonso said. “It’s truly, truly remarkable to be able to to see and feel that reaction and appreciation from a packed house like that.”

Wheeler (16-7), who had won his prior four starts, allowed two runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings.

Turner singled in the first, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Bohm’s two-out single.

Vientos doubled in the second, hustling into the base ahead of Johan Rojas’ throw from center, and came home when Tyrone Taylor singled past a diving Bohm at third.

J.D. Martinez was benched by the Mets for the second straight day and struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth, extending his career-worst slide to 0 for 32.

New York drew 2,285,147 for 78 dates this season, down from 2,573,555 last year.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF Austin Hayes (kidney infection), out since Sept. 1, was 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts, playing left field for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He could be activated Tuesday. … RHP Spencer Turnbull, sidelined since June 26 by a right lat strain, pitched two innings for the IronPigs and allowed Tyler McDonough’s two-run homer. He likely will throw batting practice on Thursday at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, Florida.

Mets: RHP Kodai Senga won’t pitch again during the regular season after feeling felt tightness in his right triceps during a minor league rehab outing Saturday. … SS Francisco Lindor (back) missed his seventh straight game but participated in more intense pregame workouts. The Mets hope he can return Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.54 ERA) starts Monday’s homestand opener against the Chicago Cubs.

Mets: RHP Luis Severino (11-6, 3.79) opens a three-game series at Atlanta on Tuesday. The Braves start RHP Spencer Schwellenbach.

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SEATTLE — Anthony Rizzo hit a tiebreaking double in the 10th inning and drove in both runs for New York as the Yankees clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.

Rizzo lined the first pitch of the inning from reliever Collin Snider (3-4) down the right-field line to score automatic runner Jasson Domínguez from second. Ian Hamilton held on in the bottom half after a bizarre baserunning mistake by Julio Rodríguez.

The postseason berth is the 59th in franchise history for the Yankees, and their 25th playoff trip in 30 years. Assured at least an American League wild card, New York has made the playoffs six times in Aaron Boone’s seven seasons as manager.

“We’ve been through a lot already this year,” Boone said. “We understand it’s just a first step — but it’s an important one. We’re in the dance.”

The first AL team to wrap up a playoff spot, the Yankees moved five games ahead of second-place Baltimore in the AL East with 10 to play.

Seattle remained five games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and three back of Minnesota for the league’s last wild card.

The Yankees managed only two hits against Seattle starter Bryce Miller, but Rizzo gave them an early lead with a single in the second for his first RBI since Sept. 2.

Miller struck out eight over six innings while issuing four walks (one intentional). After a bumpy first few innings, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third and retired the final 10 hitters he faced.

But the Seattle offense failed to push across a run against former Mariners pitcher Nestor Cortes, who allowed four hits and struck out six in six shutout innings.

“Our goal is to win the division,” Cortes said. “I knew how important it was today for us to clinch. Last year we didn’t clinch, so having this opportunity to pitch in this game and be able to help out the guys to go out there and throw up zeros and win, it was everything for us today.”

Justin Turner tied the game at 1 with a homer in the eighth that handed Clay Holmes his 13th blown save this season, most in the majors. That equaled the club record held by Dave Righetti (1987) and Hall of Famer Goose Gossage (1983).

Cal Raleigh singled leading off the bottom of the 10th to send Rodríguez, the automatic runner, from second to third. But the Mariners’ star was picked off after scampering into foul territory to dodge a flying bat that slipped out of the hands of Randy Arozarena on a strikeout, completing a strange double play.

“Kind of a freak scenario there at the end with the bat coming down there and just kind of a reactionary thing,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “It was a great ballgame on all fronts and a tough one to lose.”

Rodríguez explained that he assumed the play would be declared dead after the bat sailed out of Arozarena’s hands, and he would be allowed to return to third base.

“I got away and turned my back to the field and I heard (third base coach) Manny (Acta) yelling, ‘Get back to third.’ That’s when I got back to third,’” Rodriguez said. “Honestly, at that moment I wasn’t really thinking about the game, just trying to get away from the bat coming at me.”

Turner then struck out to end it.

Hamilton earned his third career save and first this year. Luke Weaver (6-3) fanned four in 1 2/3 hitless innings for the win.

Mariners pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, while Yankees pitchers struck out 14 batters.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners OF Victor Robles (hand) was out of the lineup after taking a pitch off the hand from New York starter Luis Gil in the first inning of Tuesday’s game. Robles exited after the inning, and his status is day-to-day.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-3, 2.41 ERA) will start on Wednesday against Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (7-11, 3.24).

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bobby Witt Jr. hit a tiebreaking single in a four-run eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat Minnesota 4-2 Saturday night to open a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for the second AL wild card.

“That’s what you dream of,” Witt said. “Those are the moments you want to be in. You’ve just got to control what you can control and just get a good pitch. You just have to be there in the moment.”

Held to one hit over seven innings by Bailey Ober, the Royals rallied against Jhoan Durán (6-9) and Griffin Jax, winning their third straight following a season-high, seven-game losing streak.

Kansas City (78-65) is second behind Cleveland in the AL Central and Minnesota (76-66) is third after losing four of five.

Duran, who topped 100 mph with five of 17 pitches, entered with a 2-0 lead and gave up a one-out single to Freddy Fermin, then hit Robbie Grossman with a pitch. Kyle Isbel hit an RBI single and Jax relieved, trying for a five-out save.

“The quality of at-bats against Duran was outstanding,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ve seen these guys never give up. The pitching kept us in the game.”

Tommy Pham hit a slow four-hopper to Brooks Lee and reached on an infield hit as the shortstop barehanded the ball and bounced his throw past first. Pinch-runner Dairon Blanco, who had been on second, scored on the error.

Witt, who leads the major leagues with a .336 average, looped a single into short center as Isbel scored for a 3-2 lead. MJ Melendez drove in Pham with a two-out single off Jax, who blew a save for the fifth time in 13 chances.

“When you’ve got a two-run lead in the eighth inning, you should win the game. Period,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “When you aren’t able to complete it, it’s going to frustrate everybody and it should.”

Daniel Lynch (1-0) allowed one hit in three scoreless innings.

“We’re not sitting here talking about a win without what Lynch did,” Quatraro said. “Three innings — that’s about as efficient as they come.”

Lynch wasn’t sure how long he’d be in the game.

“They just kept saying ‘Go on back out there,’” he recalled,

Lucas Erceg pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save, his seventh since the Royals acquired him from Oakland at the July trade deadline.

Ober did not allow a runner to reach second and retired his final 15 batters.

“He certainly dominated us,” Quatraro said. “That was a great performance by him. He mixed. He used both sides of the plate. I think we maybe squared up one or two balls in seven innings.”

Ober struck out seven and walked none.

“Bailey pitched impeccably,” Baldelli said. “Once you get in the eighth and ninth and you have exceptional relievers you can bring in, that’s their job.”

José Miranda hit a two-out RBI triple in the third and scored on Matt Wallner’s double off Alec Marsh, who gave up four hits in five innings.

Royals right-hander Dan Altavilla cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Omaha.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: 1B Carlos Santana left in the bottom of the sixth inning with an unspecified illness and was replaced by Kyle Farmer.

UP NEXT

Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-3, 3.95 ERA) starts Sunday against Kansas City RHP Michael Wacha (11-7, 3.50 ERA).

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Carlos Santana hit a sacrifice fly off All-Star closer Kirby Yates in the ninth inning and the playoff-contending Minnesota Twins won 3-2 at Texas on Thursday night in the series opener against the reigning World Series champion Rangers.

Santana’s deep fly to right-center came after Yates (4-2) issued consecutive one-out walks and then threw a wild pitch.

“He’s seen it all … he really knows what he needs to do,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Santana. “We don’t need a bomb. We don’t need really anything but a barrel. He got the pitch up and drove it out there. Nice job, professional.”

Willi Castro homered for the Twins (68-53), who moved within four games of idle Cleveland for the AL Central lead. Minnesota currently holds the American League’s second wild card.

The Rangers (56-66) are third in the AL West and 10 games behind Houston, matching their biggest division deficit this season.

Jorge Alcala (3-3), the third Twins pitcher, retired all three batters he faced. Jhoan Duran struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances.

“The game starts and there’s runs all over the place, and there’s some hard-hit balls and you’re almost expecting a different kind of ballgame,” Baldelli said

Adolis García had three hits, his fifth time in seven games with multiple hits — he is hitting .484 (15 of 31) in that span. His RBI single in the first inning came before Josh Jung’s sacrifice fly put Texas up 2-0.

After multiple runs in the first inning for the first time since July 23, the Rangers had their 10th game this year not scoring again after a run in their first at-bat. All eight hits were singles, ending 39 consecutive games since June 29 with an extra-base hit that was the longest-active streak in the majors.

“We just couldn’t get much going after first inning. Had a couple chances there and couldn’t get another hit to tack on or add another run or two,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s a tough one. They scored a cheap run there in the ninth.”

Minnesota got even in the second. Castro’s 10th homer was followed by Kyle Farmer’s triple that ricocheted off the angled wall in left-center and past center fielder Leody Taveras for an error that allowed him to score.

“Getting the game evened up was big time,” said Minnesota starter Bailey Ober, who went six innings. “I could just kind of restart and reset, have a clear mind, like it didn’t happen. Just go out there and attack.”

The Twins marked Christian Vázquez reaching 10 years of MLB service with balloons, cookies and a mariachi band in the clubhouse before the game. The catcher, who was part of World Series titles in Boston and Houston, had his 15th hit in his last 12 games with a single in the fourth. He was then doubled off first base on Austin Martin’s flyout.

Right fielder García’s throw to retire Vázquez was the third game in a row, and fourth of five, the Rangers had an outfield assist. Their 24th matched their 2023 season total and is two shy of Cleveland for the most in the majors this year.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: CF Byron Buxton was placed on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right hip. The move was retroactive to Tuesday, the day after he exited a game against Kansas City.

Rangers: RHP Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to start Saturday, a week after coming out of his last start because of right side tightness. Eovaldi has thrown a bullpen and said everything should be fine. … Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (right shoulder fatigue) is set to throw a bullpen Friday. His last start was July 30.

UP NEXT

Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney (4-12, 4.05 ERA) is tied for the most losses in MLB after going 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA his last four starts. Rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (3-3, 3.78) pitches Friday night for the Twins.

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HOUSTON — Justin Verlander was wearing a New York Mets uniform when the season began.

But on Saturday night, he was right back where he’s been so many times before, on the mound for the Houston Astros helping them to another playoff win.

Verlander pitched six shutout innings, Yordan Alvarez homered twice and the Astros held on for a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their AL Division Series opener.

Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run and Alvarez had three RBIs as the defending World Series champions won their 2023 playoff debut to earn their 10th straight victory in Game 1 of a Division Series.

Verlander first joined the Astros in August 2017 and won his second World Series title with the team last year. He signed with the Mets in the offseason, then returned to Houston in a July trade after a very brief stint in the Big Apple.

“It’s been a whirlwind of a year, season for me,” Verlander said. “To find myself back here in Houston and pitching in the playoffs is not something I foresaw, but happy to be here, happy to help contribute, and happy to be in the playoffs.”

The 40-year-old Verlander allowed four hits and walked three with six strikeouts to get his 17th win in 35 postseason starts. It was his 10th playoff win with the Astros, the most in franchise history.

“He gave us all he had like he usually does, and he gave us quality,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Even when he doesn’t have his great stuff, he still manages to get people out.”

Especially against the Twins. Since 2018, Verlander is 6-1 in seven starts versus Minnesota and has a 23-inning scoreless streak.

Former Astros star Carlos Correa had two hits for the Twins, who continued to struggle at the plate with runners in scoring position. They went 1 for 12 after going 1 for 10 in the Wild Card Series against Toronto.

“We had a lot of traffic out there,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re one good swing or even one well-placed swing away from getting some real action going, putting some runs up, and we just didn’t get that.”

Verlander settled in after a shaky start and the Astros built a 5-0 lead through six innings with big swings from Altuve and Alvarez.

Héctor Neris took over for Verlander to start the seventh. With two outs, Jorge Polanco hit a soaring three-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, rookie Royce Lewis launched his third homer in three playoff games to make it 5-4.

In the bottom half, lefty Caleb Thielbar entered to face Alvarez with one out. The slugger became the first left-handed hitter to homer off Thielbar this season when he smacked an off-speed pitch off the foul pole in right to give Houston an insurance run.

“When I go up there, try not to think about the situation, try not to think about the noise,” Alvarez said in Spanish through a translator. “Just say to myself, ‘I’m the only one that can get the job done at this moment.’”

Thielbar called Alvarez a “great hitter.”

“He doesn’t really have a weakness to either hand,” he said. “You want to be the guy who comes in and faces him in a big spot. It just wasn’t meant to be today.”

Bryan Abreu got four outs for the Astros, striking out three, and Ryan Pressly fanned two in a scoreless ninth for the save. He struck out Lewis to end it.

The best-of-five series continues Sunday night in Houston, with Framber Valdez on the mound for the AL West champion Astros against Pablo López.

Altuve pounced on Bailey Ober’s first pitch for his first career leadoff homer in the playoffs.

“It was really important,” Altuve said. “When we score first we are a better team.”

Alvarez connected off Ober on a two-run shot in the third to make it 3-0.

Altuve, who was 0 for 23 to open the playoffs last season, has 24 career postseason homers, which ranks second in major league history to Manny Ramirez (29). Saturday was Altuve’s eighth home run in the first inning of a playoff game, the most in MLB history.

Ober allowed four hits and three runs over three innings in his playoff debut for the AL Central champion Twins, who completed a two-game sweep of Toronto in the wild-card round to win a playoff series for the first time in 21 years.

The Twins had excellent chances early but were unable to push across any runs against Verlander.

“He’s a Hall of Fame pitcher for a reason,” Correa said. “Even though he doesn’t have his good stuff, he knows how to get people out. He got out of some key spots in the first three innings and they came out with the win because he figured it out and then he cruised through the last two or three.”

José Abreu’s RBI single made it 4-0 in the fifth. Chas McCormick singled with two outs to send another run home.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: Baldelli said Lewis wasn’t quite ready to play the field, as the DH continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Baldelli added that Lewis could return to the field at some point during this series.

Astros: Relief pitcher Kendall Graveman was left off the ALDS roster because of discomfort in his right shoulder. He said he’s feeling better and hopes to be available if the Astros advance.

HOME RUN LEWIS

Lewis, the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, became the second player and first rookie in MLB history with at least three home runs in his first three career playoff games. His three home runs are tied for the second-most in a single postseason in franchise history, trailing only Kirby Puckett, who had four in 1991.

“Whether it’s postseason or not, to me it’s the same game,” Lewis said. “Obviously, the stage is brighter and the lights are a little brighter but I tell you what, it’s a lot more fun, too.”

UP NEXT

López (11-8, 3.66 ERA) won Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings.

Valdez (12-11, 3.45), who threw a no-hitter against Cleveland in August, was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in his last five regular-season starts.

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PHILADELPHIA — Bryson Stott swung the bat, then stared almost in a daze as the ball plopped 412 feet away into the right-field seats. Stott swears he has almost no memory of the second grand slam in Philadelphia Phillies postseason history.

His light trot, then — slam! — the thud of his bat as the lumber spiked the turf, well, Stott doesn’t remember that, either. This playoff highlight was a blur. He yelled something at his Phillies teammates, who had already turned the dugout into a jubilant mosh pit.

What did he say? Who knows? Stott couldn’t hear himself or anyone else near him — the slam set off pandemonium inside another packed Phillies ballpark.

“I was running around the bases in kind of a blackout,” Stott said. “I don’t know, I have to go back and watch it.”

Stott’s grand slam punctuated a postseason sweep and Aaron Nola tossed seven shutout innings in a performance worthy of a playoff ace that led to a 7-1 win over the Miami Marlins in Game 2 of their NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday night.

“We know we’re a really good team and we’ve just got to continue to do that,” slugger Bryce Harper said inside a rowdy, boozy clubhouse.

After making quick work of the surprising Marlins, it’s time for an anticipated rematch.

J.T. Realmuto also homered as the Phillies advanced to another best-of-five Division Series against Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and the Braves. Game 1 is Saturday in Atlanta. The Phillies did not announce a scheduled starter.

The NL champion Phillies finished third last season in the NL East at 87-75, a full 14 games behind the 101-win Braves, only to beat them in four games in the NLDS. The Braves were even better this season with a major league-best 104 wins and a sixth straight NL East crown — clinched last month in Philadelphia — while the Phillies again earned a wild card with 90 wins.

“It’s going to be an electric series and we can’t wait,” Harper said.

More postseason thrills are surely ahead.

Stott provided one Wednesday when he turned on reliever Andrew Nardi’s first-pitch fastball in the sixth and launched it into the right-field seats for a 7-0 lead. He slammed his bat as he ran down the first-base line, and the Stott Shot sent Phillies fans into a delirious frenzy with the countdown to a clinch officially on.

Nola followed Game 1 starter Zack Wheeler’s excellent effort with one of his own, and had 46,000 fans on their feet chanting “Let’s Go, Nola!” when he needed a lift.

“He went through a lot this year because he struggled at times and there were the home runs and the big innings and things like that, but he just kept grinding and he kept fighting, kept working,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Finally, he found some stuff at the end of the year, and he’s been lights out.”

The one knock on Nola, eligible for free agency after the World Series, is his trouble with shutdown innings. After Realmuto went deep to make it 3-0 in the fourth, Nola ran into a jam in the fifth. He put runners on first and second with one out before he got Jesús Sánchez to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Nola picked — more than pitched — his way out of Miami’s only other serious threat.

The Marlins briefly caught a break in the third when Jon Berti’s deep drive into the left-center gap knocked off left fielder Cristian Pache’s glove for a one-out double. Berti then inexplicably tried to steal third and was busted by Nola as the righty went into his delivery. Nola noticed Berti taking off and, instead of throwing a pitch, simply stepped toward third and threw him out.

“I feel like there was a little momentum shift,” Nola said. “For a pitcher, it’s definitely a plus to pick a guy off in a situation like that, especially when a guy that can run is on second base with less than two outs.”

Those are the kind of mistakes a postseason novice like the Marlins make.

“I think the culture changed,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “I believe that there’s a new standard in that clubhouse now. Now it’s up to them to protect that standard, honestly.”

With fans again waving their red rally towels, many wearing Phillies overalls popularized by backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, and the team on the brink of a clinch, the Phillies had their way with Miami starter Braxton Garrett.

Philadelphia again had six 20-homer hitters in the lineup but — a night after failing to go deep in Game 1 — again stitched together runs against Garrett.

Kyle Schwarber ripped an RBI double to right in the third that scored Pache for a 1-0 lead. Pache raced around the bases from first, his helmet still bouncing on the dirt as he slid headfirst into home. Trea Turner, the $300 million shortstop, smacked an RBI single that scored Schwarber for a 2-0 lead.

By then, the Game 2 victory seemed inevitable.

After all, there’s a reason the Phillies call the postseason Red October: They just don’t lose at Citizens Bank Park. At least, not often.

The Phillies, who won the 2008 World Series at home, moved to 24-11 in the postseason at the ballpark, the top postseason winning percentage for any team in any park (minimum 20 games).

Realmuto crushed his fourth career postseason homer off David Robertson in the fourth to make it 3-0.

“I think we’ve got a really good club, and I think we’re built for series-type baseball,” Thomson said.

OH, BABY!

Nola’s night got even better after his wife Hunter Jayde announced on Instagram the couple is expecting a child.

BRING A BROOM

The Phillies joined Minnesota, Arizona and Texas in pulling off first-round sweeps as all four Wild Card Series ended in two games. There have been seven sweeps — including the Phillies over St. Louis last season — in the eight Wild Card Series during the first two years of expanded playoffs.

SLAM STAT

Shane Victorino hit the other postseason grand slam for the Phillies in Game 2 of the 2008 NLDS off Milwaukee’s CC Sabathia.

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MILWAUKEE — Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks are one resilient bunch. Staring at an early deficit against Corbin Burnes, they slugged their way to the front of their NL Wild Card Series.

Carroll and Ketel Marte homered on back-to-back pitches and Gabriel Moreno also went deep, sending the Diamondbacks to a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night in the opener of their best-of-three series.

Arizona is making the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2017, and it had been 0-14 in postseason games when trailing by at least three runs. But this is a tested group of Diamondbacks who had to push all the way to the final days of the season to secure an NL wild card.

So that 3-0 hole with Burnes on the mound for the Brewers was just another challenge that had to be overcome.

“He is a really good pitcher,” said Carroll, who added another memorable performance to his breakout rookie season. “We wanted to get him out of there. I thought we took really patient at-bats and got rewarded with that patience by getting some balls in the middle of the plate that we were able to put some good swings on.”

The rally put Arizona in a prime position to advance. Game 2 is Wednesday, and the Diamondbacks have All-Star Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly lined up after rookie Brandon Pfaadt lasted just 2 2/3 innings in the opener.

Arizona’s comeback began when Carroll followed Geraldo Perdomo’s one-out single in the third with a 444-foot drive into the second deck of the stands in right-center. On Burnes’ next pitch, Marte sent a cutter over the right-field wall to tie the game.

Moreno put the Diamondbacks in front by homering for the first time since Sept. 2. Moreno’s 425-foot shot in the fourth came on a 2-2 slider.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo felt Carroll’s homer was a turning point.

“I think at that point, we all exhaled,” Lovullo said, “and I think we collectively got our feet underneath us and felt very good about the direction in which we were going.”

Third baseman Evan Longoria protected Arizona’s 4-3 lead in the fifth by robbing Tyrone Taylor of a bases-loaded hit and turning it into an inning-ending double play. Christian Walker provided some insurance with a two-run double off Devin Williams in the ninth.

Taylor hit a two-run homer for Milwaukee. The NL Central champion Brewers left the bases loaded in the first and third, and they failed to score after loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth.

Arizona’s Joe Mantiply, Miguel Castro, Ryne Nelson, Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald combined for 6 1/3 innings of shutout relief.

“Our bullpen is the reason why we won this game,” Lovullo said.

Milwaukee appeared to have a starting pitching advantage for Game 1 by virtue of clinching its playoff berth early enough to set up its postseason rotation. It didn’t quite work out that way.

Gallen pitched Friday and Kelly went on Saturday, so the Diamondbacks opted against using them on short rest and instead started Pfaadt. Although Pfaadt yielded three runs and seven hits before departing in the third, Burnes also struggled.

Burnes retired seven of the first eight batters he faced but faltered the rest of the way. The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner allowed four runs through the first four innings and left after he walked the only two batters he faced in the fifth.

“When I was executing pitches the first couple of innings, we got quick outs, and a lot of ground balls, some strikeouts,” Burnes said. “Then when I stopped executing pitches, they didn’t miss.”

Longoria said the Diamondbacks benefited from their regular-season experience against Burnes.

The three-time All-Star pitched eight shutout innings in a 7-1 victory over Arizona in April, but he gave up seven runs over five innings in a 9-1 loss to the Diamondbacks two months later.

“It doesn’t mean that we were going to get to him today, but I think it just gave us a little bit of confidence knowing that we were able to have some success against him the last time that we faced him,” Longoria said.

Longoria helped the Diamondbacks survive a shaky relief performance from Nelson, who typically starts rather than working out of the bullpen.

Milwaukee trailed 4-3 when Sal Frelick and Willy Adames opened the sixth with back-to-back singles. Nelson then walked Josh Donaldson to load the bases for Brice Turang.

It was initially ruled that Nelson’s first pitch to Turang hit him around the foot, which would have brought in the tying run. But the Diamondbacks challenged the call, and it was overturned on a replay review.

Turang struck out, and Thompson got the final two outs with a huge assist from Longoria, a three-time Gold Glove winner. Taylor’s high, screaming liner was grabbed by Longoria, who threw from his knees to double Adames off second.

“I kind of just jumped and threw my glove up,” Longoria said. “Sometimes those plays, I think, it’s just a reaction. … I threw my glove up there and I felt it hit my glove. I couldn’t actually believe I caught it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Arizona outfielder Jake McCarthy was removed from the team’s Wild Card Series roster shortly before the start of Game 1 due to a right oblique strain. Utilityman Jace Peterson replaced McCarthy on the roster.

Under MLB postseason rules, McCarthy wouldn’t be able to play for the Diamondbacks until the NL Championship Series, if they get that far.

UP NEXT

Gallen (17-9, 3.47 ERA) is pitching for Arizona in Game 2. Freddy Peralta (12-10, 3.86 ERA) starts for Milwaukee.

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PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler struck out eight in a sensational effort, José Alvarado preserved the lead with a pivotal strikeout and the Philadelphia Phillies opened a resolute postseason push with a 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the opener of their NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday night.

Nick Castellanos provided the game’s signature moment, directing his ring finger toward a joyous Phillies dugout after a key double and sending a message the defending NL champions crave the cherished piece of jewelry they were denied by Houston last season.

Castellanos added an RBI double in the eighth inning to score Bryce Harper — who knocked off his helmet as he steamrolled past a stop sign — and the Phillies moved within a victory of an NL Division Series matchup against Atlanta.

Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth for the save.

Phillies fans held signs that read “Un-phinished Business” and they were downright delirious when injured slugger Rhys Hoskins fought back tears and threw the ceremonial first pitch.

The Phillies won 11 postseason games last season, two shy of the ultimate goal and their first World Series title since 2008. The theme of unfinished business — as it is for so many World Series losers — was a key element that permeated throughout the clubhouse this season.

“We’ve got to get back after it this year, and it’s a different team,” manager Rob Thomson said ahead of the game. “I believe it’s a better team, to be honest with you.”

Here they are again, this time with star shortstop Trea Turner, playing big games in October — and with Wheeler in top form.

Wheeler, on the short list of great free-agent signings in team history, was dealing from the start. He threw nine fastballs in the 97-99 mph range in the first inning, the hardest a pitcher who struck out 212 batters has thrown all season.

The veteran right-hander never backed down as 45,662 fans at Citizens Bank Park roared on every K.

Wheeler’s slider, nasty. His sinker, filthy.

Wheeler is simply grateful for another postseason shot a year after he was lifted with a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning of Game 6 in the World Series against Houston. Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer off Alvarado later in the inning and the Astros soon clinched the World Series.

That was last season. Alvarado struck out Yuli Gurriel with two runners aboard to end a Marlins threat in the seventh. The left-hander retired two batters in the eighth, and Jeff Hoffman got the third out of the inning.

Wheeler threw only 46 pitches through four innings in this one — while Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo labored through 90 over the same span.

The 26-year-old Luzardo was raised in South Florida and grew up rooting for Marlins stars such as Juan Pierre and Miguel Cabrera.

Luzardo was 6 years old when he attended Game 3 of the 2003 World Series, won by the Marlins, and was thrilled when he was traded to Miami ahead of the 2021 season.

His first postseason start for his childhood team hardly went as planned.

Led by Kyle Schwarber’s 47 homers, the Phillies had six players in the Game 1 lineup with at least 20. But they didn’t need the Schwarbombs and Alec Booms to get the job done, as every starter had at least one hit.

Johan Rojas, the No. 9 hitter, hammered away at Luzardo with a nine-pitch at-bat for a single that opened the third. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Alec Bohm’s RBI double to left.

Bryson Stott rattled Luzardo in the fourth with an RBI single to make it 2-0 and Cristian Pache gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead on a single that scored Castellanos.

Flip that finger, Nick. The Phillies have their first one.

FIRST PITCH

Hoskins choked back tears, patted his chest in appreciation and even waved a rally towel before he threw the first pitch. The slugging first baseman has not played this season after he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. The 30-year-old Hoskins — playing on a $12 million, one-year contract — might have made his last appearance at Citizens Bank Park. He will head to Florida this week to face live pitching with hopes he could return to the Phillies if they make the World Series.

MANUEL RECOVERS

Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel posted a picture on social media of him watching the game from a hospital room. Manuel led the Phillies to the 2008 World Series title. He suffered a stroke in September.

UP NEXT

The Marlins send LHP Braxton Garrett (9-7, 3.66 ERA) to the mound Wednesday night against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46). Nola went 2-2 in last year’s postseason — winning a game in each of the first two rounds, then losing one in each of the next two. Garrett gave up three runs over five innings in each of his two starts vs. the Phillies this season.

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MILWAUKEE — The Chicago Cubs seemed to be on their way to a playoff spot after a summertime surge moved them into contention.

In a matter of a few weeks, it all fell apart.

Yan Gomes hit a grand slam, but the Cubs were knocked out of the playoff picture during a 10-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

“We just got cold,” Gomes said. “One of the biggest things I’d keep mentioning is it wasn’t because of a lack of effort. We went out there, we gave it our best. It just didn’t work out. We’re going to take a big learning experience from this. Whatever the future holds, I know we’re going to learn from it.”

Chicago’s game was going into the eighth inning when Miami finished its 7-3 victory at Pittsburgh, securing an NL wild card and eliminating the Cubs.

“It stinks,” said Jameson Taillon, who pitched four innings for his first career save. “I was just thinking this would be a really fun team to compete with in the playoffs and pop champagne with. This is a great group.”

The Cubs were 10 games below .500 in early June, but they rebounded in a big way. They were in prime playoff position after improving to 78-67 with a 5-4 victory at Colorado on Sept. 11.

“We all wanted and expected to be in the postseason,” Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger said. “That’s what we strive for in spring training. We thought we had the group. We had a great team. We were playing unbelievable baseball in July to even put us in this situation.”

Then came a September swoon.

Before Saturday’s victory at Milwaukee, the Cubs had lost four in a row by a total of five runs. They also had dropped nine straight road games.

“I think that sometimes the ball just doesn’t roll how you want it to roll,” Bellinger said. “It was a tough ending. We all expected to come out on top. Overall we expected more. But we still fought till the very end and gave it our best shot.”

Chicago (83-78) spent the top of the first inning taking out its frustration on Eric Lauer (4-6), who was making his first major league appearance since May 20 with the NL Central champion Brewers (91-70) resting their top starting pitchers.

On Lauer’s third pitch, Christopher Morel hit a 431-foot drive over the wall in left. Lauer walked three of his next four batters before Gomes connected for his 10th homer. Two batters later, Patrick Wisdom homered to right-center.

But the Cubs blew a 6-0 lead for the second time in five nights. This one vanished in just two innings.

Milwaukee’s Willy Adames hit a two-run double to highlight a three-run rally against Jordan Wicks in the bottom of the first. Blake Perkins delivered a two-run homer and Carlos Santana added a tying solo shot in the second before the Cubs removed Wicks, who had allowed no more than three runs in any of his previous six starts.

The Cubs regained the lead by scoring twice in the fourth, despite having two runners thrown out at the plate. Ian Happ hit a tiebreaking RBI single and Bellinger added a run-scoring double.

Lauer allowed eight runs, nine hits and four walks in four innings.

“Just the first inning, he kind of struggled with throwing the ball where he wanted to,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That got him into trouble. I think he settled in a bit actually and was able to get through the second, third and fourth. But the first inning — maybe the first 20 or so pitches — he was really struggling kind of with knowing where the ball was going.”

Hayden Wesneski (3-5), Javier Assad and Taillon combined for 7 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Wicks.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner rested after fouling a ball off his left knee Friday night. The Cubs say he has a bruised knee.

UP NEXT

LHP Justin Steele (16-5, 3.08 ERA) pitches for the Cubs and RHP Adrian Houser (7-5, 4.32 ERA) starts for the Brewers on Sunday afternoon.

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TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays remained on the brink of a playoff spot after they lost 7-5 to Taylor Walls and the Tampa Bay Rays in 10 innings.

Toronto (89-72) still had a couple more ways to get into the playoffs on Saturday. A loss for Seattle against Texas would secure a wild card for the Blue Jays. Losses for the Mariners and Astros, who were set to play at Arizona, would guarantee Toronto the second of three AL wild cards and set up a best-of-three postseason series at Tampa Bay.

Walls lifted the Rays to a 6-4 lead with a two-run single off Jordan Hicks (3-9) with two out in the 10th. Junior Caminero then drove in Raimel Tapia with an infield single.

Rays right-hander Chris Devenski (6-4) pitched two innings for the win, working around Bo Bichette’s RBI double in the 10th.

Harold Ramírez had three hits for the Rays, including a tying two-run homer off Trevor Richards in the fifth.

George Springer hit a two-out double off Devenski in the bottom of the ninth, but Cavan Biggio flied out to send it to extra innings.

Daulton Varsho homered and drove in three runs, but it wasn’t enough for the Blue Jays.

Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz entered as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning and struck out on three pitches. Díaz (.330) trails Texas shortstop Corey Seager (.331 entering play Saturday) in a tight race for the AL batting title.

Isaac Paredes hit an RBI single off Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu in the first inning, and Josh Lowe’s double made it 2-0 in the third.

Varsho homered off Cooper Criswell to begin the Toronto third, his 20th. He put the Blue Jays in front with a two-run single in the fourth.

Springer added an RBI single, but Toronto stranded runners on first and second when Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struck out.

Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena walked to begin the fifth and Ramírez followed with his 12th homer.

Ryu allowed two runs and seven hits in three innings.

Shawn Armstrong opened for the Rays, pitching around a pair of walks in his lone inning. Recalled from Triple-A Durham before the game, Criswell followed and allowed four runs, three earned, and four hits in three innings.

ROSTER MOVES

To make room for Criswell, the Rays designated pitcher Erasmo Ramírez for assignment.

UP NEXT

Neither team had named a starter for Sunday’s season finale.

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SEATTLE — J.P. Crawford grabbed the celebratory trident and raised it toward the sky eliciting even more cheers from the fans in his home ballpark.

Rarely has a home run — a grand slam in the midst of a playoff chase — felt as fulfilling as this one did for the Seattle Mariners shortstop.

“I feel pretty good right now,” Crawford said. “Anytime there’s bases loaded I just want to get a run in and help the team as much as I can.”

Crawford hit his third career grand slam, Ty France and Josh Rojas had solo homers and the Mariners stayed in the thick of the American League playoff race with an 8-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

A night after possibly saving Seattle’s playoff hopes with a two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning to pull out a 3-2 victory against the Rangers, Crawford again came through with a big swing to keep Seattle right on the heels of Houston in the chase for the final wild card spot in the American League.

Seattle (87-73) remained one game behind Houston (88-72) the wild-card standings with two games left, while Texas (89-71) still needs a victory or an Astros loss to wrap up a playoff berth. There also remains the possibility of a three-way tie for the division title.

“Big win. We still need a little help, but we have the opportunity to take care of it ourselves here,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

Crawford’s slam – his 19th homer of the season — was off reliever Brock Burke who came in specifically to face Crawford after Nathan Eovaldi faltered. Burke fell behind 3-1 in the count and missed with a fastball in the middle of the plate. Crawford didn’t miss, lining the pitch into the right-field seats for an 8-0 lead.

Crawford is 11 for 16 with 26 RBIs this season with the bases loaded.

“It’s just not giving an at-bat away. Anytime there is a chance to do damage or kill that pulse a little bit for the other team you got to take advantage of that,” Crawford said.

Crawford’s slam was the blow that broke open the game. But it was the conclusion to a two-inning stretch of big at-bats by the Mariners that knocked out Eovaldi (12-5) and provided Seattle’s pitching staff some stress-free innings.

France’s homer leading off the third inning was the first hit off Eovaldi. Two batters later, Rojas hit his fourth homer since being acquired from Arizona at the trade deadline. With two outs in the inning, Eugenio Suárez hit a liner to center field that Leody Tavares overran and fell for a double that scored Crawford from first.

An inning later, Eovaldi allowed a single to Teoscar Hernández, walked Mike Ford and hit France with a 3-2 pitch before Rojas’ RBI single ended his night. Burke took over and Crawford went deep.

“It’s right there in front of us. All we have to do is go out there and win one game,” Eovaldi said. “With last night’s loss and then this one today, it’s tough to just turn the page from those two. But we’ve got to be able to do that, because that’s what it comes down to in the final games of the season.”

Seattle starter Bryan Woo labored into the fourth inning but pitched out of trouble and kept the Rangers scoreless less than a week after giving up six runs to Texas. Woo needed 82 pitches to record 11 outs, but struck out five and worked around three walks nibbling around the plate facing the Rangers’ top hitters.

Texas had runners at the corners with one out in the third but Woo struck out Adolis García and after hitting Nathaniel Lowe on the foot to load the bases got a fly out from Josh Jung to end the threat.

Woo said pitching coach Pete Woodworth said before the game it didn’t matter if 100 pitches were needed to get the necessary outs.

“Probably didn’t need to take that literally, but zeros are zeros especially at this time of year,” Woo said.

From there is was an assembly line of relievers that closed out Seattle’s big league-high 17th shutout. Taylor Saucedo, Trent Thornton (1-2), Isaiah Campbell, Eduard Bazardo and Dominic Leone combined for 5 1/3 innings.

GRAY DAY

Texas right-hander Jon Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain, a blow to the staff heading into the playoffs. The Rangers were planning to start Gray on Saturday. Gray is 9-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 29 starts this season.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Texas announced postgame that LHP Andrew Heaney (10-6, 4.28) will start. Heaney has pitched in relief in his last six appearances. His last start came on Sept. 4.

Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (14-8, 3.20) will make his final start of the regular season, looking to rebound after giving up five runs in six innings to Houston in his last start. Castillo is winless in two starts against Texas this season but the last came in early June when he allowed one run in seven innings.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants fired manager Gabe Kapler on Friday with three days left in the season and the club eliminated from the playoffs. It was the first managerial change of 2023.

San Francisco is 78-81 going into a season-ending series against the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 48-year-old Kapler had a 295-248 record over four seasons guiding the Giants, but his only year with a winning record was 2021, when San Francisco won a franchise-record 107 games and the NL West title.

The Giants lost in the NL Division series that year to the Dodgers, then regressed to 81-81 last year.

“After making this recommendation to ownership and receiving their approval, I met with Gabe today to inform him of our decision,” Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said in a statement. “He has been dedicated and passionate in his efforts to improve the on-field performance of the San Francisco Giants and I have tremendous respect for him as a colleague and friend.”

Kapler’s first season with San Francisco was the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He managed the Philadelphia Phillies for two years before that, going 161-163.

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CHICAGO — Seiya Suzuki and Jared Young each hit two-run homers, Jameson Taillon pitched six scoreless innings and the struggling Chicago Cubs improved their playoff chances with a 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies Friday.

Chicago had lost 10 of 13 but it will remain at least tied with Miami for the third and final National League wild card berth. The Marlins will play the Brewers Friday night. Cincinnati, which plays host to Pittsburgh latr, was a half-game behind the two teams at the start of the day.

Suzuki singled in the opening inning to bring home Chicago’s first run, then tagged starter Noah Davis (0-3) for his 20th homer in the fourth.

Young added his second home run in the sixth off reliever Gavin Hollowell and Dansby Swanson had an RBI single in the seventh off Brent Suter.

Taillon (8-10) allowed four hits, walked four and struck out seven to end a streak of seven winless starts. He allowed runners into scoring position in three of his first four innings but worked out of trouble each time. Drew Smyly and Hayden Wesneski worked the final three innings to finish the shutout.

Davis allowed four hits and three earned runs while walking two and striking out four in the first five innings. The last-place Rockies (56-97) have lost five straight and inched closer to the club’s first-ever 100-loss season.

WELCOME BACK … AND GOODBYE

Colorado’s Kris Bryant, one of the brightest stars on the Cubs’ 2016 world championship club, got a long enough ovation from the home crowd in his first at-bat that he paused to tip his helmet. The roar was almost as loud a few pitches later, however, when umpire Dan Iassogna called Bryant out looking at a third strike. Bryant finished 0 for 4.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: Cody Bellinger was struck on the right foot by a bouncing Davis pitch in the first but jogged to first without a visit from a trainer. He remained in the game.

UP NEXT

Colorado RHP Chris Flexen (1-8, 7.19 ERA) faces LHP Jordan Wicks (3-1, 2.67) on Saturday afternoon.

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