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Tag: MLB Playoffs

  • MLB Playoffs: Phillies, Dodgers take early NLDS leads

    MLB Playoffs: Phillies, Dodgers take early NLDS leads

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    Nick Castellanos and the Philadelphia Phillies can put the defending World Series champion Braves on the brink of elimination. Same for the Dodgers against the rival Padres.

    Meanwhile, the Mariners and Guardians get a day to shake off tough losses to the Astros and Yankees, respectively.

    The best-of-five National League Division Series pitting Phillies vs. Braves and Padres vs. Dodgers are set for their second games Wednesday, while the American League clubs get a day off.

    Castellanos carried a big load with his bat in a 7-6 Game 1 victory Tuesday over Atlanta. But despite driving in three runs, his glovework was what really had people talking.

    Frequently maligned as part of a subpar defensive outfield, Castellanos sprawled out for a potentially game-saving catch in the ninth inning, snuffing out Atlanta’s rally from a six-run deficit.

    The grab helped lock up the Phillies’ third straight win to open this postseason — an unexpected run months after they fired manager Joe Girardi and replaced him with Rob Thomson.

    Here’s what else to know about the MLB playoffs today:

    TODAY’S SCHEDULE (All times ET)

    NLDS Game 2: Philadelphia at Atlanta, 4:35 p.m., FOX

    NLDS Game 2: San Diego at Los Angeles, 8:37 p.m., FS1

    BRAVE NEW OCTOBER

    Dansby Swanson and the Braves haven’t rediscovered last year’s World Series magic. They’re hoping it’ll show against Game 2 Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.

    Atlanta didn’t look like a defending champion Tuesday. The Braves stranded nine runners in their Game 1 loss, an aggravating day that had the usually cool-headed Swanson slamming his bat and helmet to the ground midgame.

    They showed signs of life late, when Matt Olson’s three-run homer cut the deficit to one in the ninth inning. They’ll ask Game 2 starter Kyle Wright to carry over that momentum — something he did well while leading the majors with 21 wins this season.

    CLOSED OUT

    The Dodgers can take a 2-0 series lead over San Diego with a win Wednesday. They’ll send three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw to the mound against Padres ace Yu Darvish.

    If Kershaw and the Dodgers win a second World Series in three years, it may be without eight-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel in the bullpen. And that’s by choice.

    Kimbrel was left off Los Angeles’ NLDS roster, a decision manager Dave Roberts made two weeks after demoting Kimbrel out of the closer’s role.

    Kimbrel was 6-7 with 22 saves and was booed at times in his first season in Los Angeles as the replacement for Kenley Jansen. Kimbrel leads active pitchers with 394 career saves and has never blown a postseason chance in 23 appearances, although he has a subpar 4.13 ERA in those games.

    Chris Martin pitched the ninth inning in LA’s 5-3 win Tuesday night, converting his first postseason save in 15 career appearances.

    NO JOSHING

    Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson is catching heat from fans even after a satisfying Game 1 win in New York.

    The 36-year-old was embarrassingly thrown out on the bases after prematurely going into a home run trot on a ball that bounced off the top of the wall during New York’s 4-1 victory Tuesday. Donaldson didn’t run hard, and he didn’t answer questions about it from reporters after the game, either.

    It was hardly the first time Donaldson’s lack of hustle became an issue for the Yankees this year. Boone pulled him aside after an incident Sept. 5 and told him, “Let’s not let that happen.”

    FREAKED OUT

    Relief pitchers David Robertson of the Phillies and Phil Maton of the Astros were left off their clubs’ Division Series rosters after freak injuries.

    Robertson, 37-year-old in a resurgent season for the Phils, injured his right calf jumping to celebrate Bryce Harper’s home run in a clinching Game 2 victory over St. Louis during the wild-card round. He’s not with the team in Atlanta, instead going back to Philadelphia for a PRP injection.

    “He’s devastated,” Thomson said. “He really wanted to pitch in the series. And he knows how big a part he is to this club. And he’s very disappointed.”

    Maton says he broke his right pinkie finger when he punched a locker in frustration after Houston’s regular-season finale. He’s out for the remainder of the postseason. He called the outburst “shortsighted and ultimately selfish.”

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Dominant Dodgers, hot Padres bring SoCal rivalry to NLDS

    Dominant Dodgers, hot Padres bring SoCal rivalry to NLDS

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    LOS ANGELES — The San Diego Padres knocked off the 101-win New York Mets in the National League wild-card series.

    Awaiting them in the NL Division Series is an even bigger challenge: the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers.

    “They’re hot and we’ve been hot for seven months,” a smiling — or was it smirking? — Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman said Monday.

    Call it a postseason Freeway Series.

    “It’s going to be a very intense series,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

    Unlike the regular season.

    The Southern California rivals were separated by a whopping 22 games in the NL West, with the Dodgers controlling first place for much of the time and the Padres finishing second.

    “They handed it to us pretty good this year, so we realize what we’re up against,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “It feels a little bit better now that we’re not looking at the standings.”

    That’s not the only way in which the Dodgers dominated the Padres. Los Angeles went 15-4 against them, never lost a series and outscored them 109-47.

    As a result, the Dodgers are solid favorites coming into the best-of-five NLDS that begins Tuesday night in Los Angeles. In Game 1, right-hander Mike Clevinger takes the mound for the Padres against left-hander Julio Urías, a 17-game winner for the Dodgers.

    Right-hander Yu Darvish, a 16-game winner, starts for the Padres in Game 2 on Wednesday against left-hander Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ three-time Cy Young Award winner.

    The Dodgers are well-rested, having been been off since closing out the regular season a week ago. While the Padres flew cross-country to outscore the Mets 16-8 in winning the wild-card series in three games, the Dodgers played simulated games in their empty stadium.

    They gathered at a high-end steakhouse on Sunday night for a team dinner with the decisive Padres-Mets game on in the background. Watching Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove getting his ears checked for illegal substances by the umpire, “it got a little louder in the room,” Freeman said.

    BOLSTERING THE RANKS

    San Diego got better at the trade deadline by adding closer Josh Hader and two-time All-Star Juan Soto, who was a teammate of current Dodger Trea Turner on the Washington Nationals.

    Hader closed out Game 3 against the Mets and Soto went 2 for 4 with two RBIs in the clincher.

    The Dodgers signed Freeman in March, adding offensive punch to an already potent lineup. Freeman hit .325 and finished .001 points behind the Mets’ Jeff McNeil for the NL batting title.

    ALMOST LIKE HOME

    The last time the Padres were in the playoffs in a full season in front of fans in 2006, Roberts was their leadoff hitter and left fielder. He’ll be able to sleep in his own bed during the NLDS since he lives in the San Diego area.

    BUEHLER’S NIGHT OUT

    Walker Buehler will be on the mound for Game 2 on Wednesday — to toss out the ceremonial first pitch. The two-time All-Star who helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series had his second career Tommy John surgery in August. He’s not expected back until the 2024 season. Buehler was 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 starts this season before having surgery.

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Musgrove pitches hometown Padres past Mets 6-0 and into NLDS

    Musgrove pitches hometown Padres past Mets 6-0 and into NLDS

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    NEW YORK — Joe Musgrove brushed off chants of “Cheater!” after a bizarre spot check by umpires on the mound, pitching his hometown San Diego Padres into the next round of the playoffs Sunday night with seven innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.

    Trent Grisham hit an RBI single and made a terrific catch in center field that helped the Padres take the best-of-three National League wild-card series 2-1. Austin Nola and Juan Soto each had a two-run single.

    San Diego advanced to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Tuesday — ensuring the Padres will play in front of their home fans in the postseason for the first time in 16 years when they return to Petco Park for Game 3.

    “We know that. We would love for them to be able to see some postseason games,” manager Bob Melvin said Sunday afternoon. “To an extent, we feel like they’re a part of us.”

    It was the fifth time the Padres have won a playoff series. They took a first-round matchup against St. Louis in their own ballpark with no fans permitted after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being swept in the Division Series by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.

    For the Mets, a scintillating season ended with a whimper at home in front of empty seats. Baseball’s biggest spenders won 101 games — the second-most in franchise history — but were unable to hold off Atlanta in the NL East after sitting atop the division for all but six days.

    New York was up by 10 1/2 games on June 1 and seven on Aug. 10 before finally ceding control last weekend. The defending World Series champions snatched away their fifth consecutive division title and a first-round playoff bye on the strength of a head-to-head sweep in Atlanta — and the Mets never fully recovered.

    New York ace Max Scherzer got rocked in a Game 1 loss to San Diego and, after the Mets won Game 2 behind Jacob deGrom to stave off elimination, they mustered almost nothing against Musgrove and finished with one hit in the loss.

    No. 3 starter Chris Bassitt lasted just four innings, giving up three runs and three hits with three costly walks to batters near the bottom of the order.

    Pete Alonso’s leadoff single in the fifth and Starling Marte’s walk to start the seventh were the only baserunners permitted by Musgrove in his first postseason start.

    Robert Suarez and Josh Hader finished up for the Padres.

    Musgrove grew up a Padres fan in the San Diego suburbs and pitched the franchise’s first no-hitter last year in his second start with the team.

    He was working on a one-hitter and warming up for the sixth inning Sunday when Mets manager Buck Showalter came out of the dugout and spoke to first base umpire Alfonso Marquez.

    All six umps huddled and then went to the mound as Marquez, the crew chief, felt Musgrove’s glove, cap — even his ears — apparently searching for any illegal sticky substances.

    The spin rate was up on all six of Musgrove’s pitches. Umpires let him continue, and he worked a 1-2-3 sixth.

    Fans yelled “Cheater!” at Musgrove, a member of the 2017 Houston Astros World Series champions that were found by Major League Baseball to have stolen signs illegally to help their hitters.

    The Astros’ cheating scandal rocked the sport. Musgrove has said he feels uncomfortable wearing his championship ring and wants “one that feels earned” with the Padres.

    “I guarantee Musgrove has Red Hot on his ears,” Milwaukee outfielder Andrew McCutchen tweeted. “Pitchers use it as mechanism to stay locked in during games. It burns like crazy and IDK why some guys thinks it helps them but in no way is it `sticky.′ Buck is smart tho. Could be trying to just throw him off.”

    THINKING OF MR. PADRE

    During batting practice, San Diego second baseman Jake Cronenworth wore an old-school Tony Gwynn No. 19 uniform T-shirt, a giveaway at Petco Park one day this season.

    “We all got ‘em,” Cronenworth said. “Usually a lot of us wear ’em, but I think everybody’s wearing hoodies today.”

    Cronenworth, however, figured this was a day to salute the late Padres Hall of Famer.

    “It was just in my locker and I brought it with me for a reason, so I decided I’d wear it,” he said. “Tony was one of the best, so give us some support from up above.”

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Mets: Francisco Lindor was shaken up after fouling a ball off the inside of his right knee in the fourth. As the star shortstop was checked by an athletic trainer, manager Buck Showalter strolled to the plate, picked up Lindor’s bat and handed it back to him. Lindor stayed in the game and struck out.

    UP NEXT

    San Diego went 5-14 against the first-place Dodgers this season and finished 22 games behind them in the NL West.

    New York begins its spring training schedule next year with split-squad games Feb. 25 against Miami and Houston. The regular-season opener is March 30 at Miami.

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Buck’s back: Showalter gets another October shot with Mets

    Buck’s back: Showalter gets another October shot with Mets

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    NEW YORK — The last time Buck Showalter managed a playoff game, he ended up on the hot seat after an agonizing loss for Baltimore.

    Six years later, a shot at redemption begins Friday with the New York Mets.

    The popular Showalter takes his fourth franchise to the postseason this weekend when the Mets host San Diego in their best-of-three wild card series. The veteran skipper has spent more than two decades pacing major league dugouts and is still seeking his first World Series appearance.

    “He’s got that chance — and that’s really what you come back for,” said former teammate Don Mattingly, who just stepped down as manager of the Miami Marlins.

    Showalter had baseball’s best closer with the Orioles in 2016, but didn’t bring Zack Britton into their wild card loss at Toronto. Waiting for a save opportunity that never developed, Britton was left in the bullpen watching helplessly as Ubaldo Jiménez gave up a three-run homer to Edwin Encarnación in the 11th inning that eliminated Baltimore.

    A well-respected Showalter was roundly skewered by fans, writers and commentators. He guided the Orioles through two miserable seasons that followed, then spent three on the sidelines doing television work.

    Now, he’s back on the bench in October after winning a career-high 101 games in his first year leading the Mets. He joins Yogi Berra as the only managers to take the Yankees and Mets to the playoffs.

    “I’d like to say that I’ve evolved with what the players need,” Showalter said. “You roll up your sleeves and see what they need you to bring, and you try to bring it.”

    The only other managers to reach the playoffs with four organizations are Billy Martin, Davey Johnson and Dusty Baker (five teams). The 66-year-old Showalter, however, is the lone member of that quartet without a pennant.

    And his postseason history is a painful pattern of what might have been.

    A whiz kid across town, Showalter was just 38 in 1994 when players went on strike that August. At the time, his New York Yankees held the best record in the American League — but they were denied a chance to chase a ring when Major League Baseball later canceled the postseason.

    The next year, he piloted the Yankees to their first playoff berth in 14 years. But they blew a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Division Series with three straight losses in Seattle, dropping the decisive Game 5 in 11 innings on a two-run double by Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez.

    Late owner George Steinbrenner wanted to fire several coaches, and when Showalter wouldn’t swallow that, he was gone, too.

    Joe Torre replaced him and managed the Yankees to their most recent dynasty on his way to the Hall of Fame, winning the 1996 World Series and three straight from 1998-2000 with several core players Showalter helped to groom.

    “I think he’s pretty perceptive,” Mets reliever Trevor May said. “He knows a lot about guys before he even manages them.”

    After leaving the Yankees, Showalter hooked on with expansion Arizona and called plenty of shots as the entire organization started from scratch.

    In their second season, he managed the Diamondbacks to 100 wins and the 1999 NL West title before losing to the Mets in the playoffs on a series-ending homer in the 10th inning by backup catcher Todd Pratt, subbing for injured Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.

    Two years later, Arizona won the World Series under Bob Brenly, beating the Yankees in a seven-game classic.

    Showalter and the Orioles pushed the Yankees to Game 5 in a 2012 Division Series, then won the AL East in 2014 at 96-66 to earn him the third of his three AL Manager of the Year awards in a 20-year span.

    But the Orioles ran into a red-hot Kansas City Royals squad that swept Baltimore in his only League Championship Series appearance.

    Then came the Britton episode in 2016 — also the last year the Mets made the playoffs before Showalter arrived.

    “Guys love playing for him,” big league batting champion Jeff McNeil said. “Definitely want to win one for him.”

    In an interesting bit of symmetry, Showalter again has arguably the most dominant closer in baseball this season in right-hander Edwin Díaz.

    But those 101 wins — second-most in franchise history — only earned the Mets (101-61) the top National League wild card. A division crown slipped away when they were swept last weekend at Atlanta, which came from 10 1/2 games back on June 1 and seven behind on Aug. 10 to win its fifth straight NL East championship.

    So now, Showalter must quickly get his team refocused for a playoff run after the disappointment of leading the division for all but six days this season and still coming up short of a first-round bye.

    Meticulous by nature with a never-ending thirst for information, Showalter ranks 19th in career wins with 1,652 over 21 seasons on the bench with five teams, including Texas. He became the first Mets manager to win 100 games in his debut with the club.

    “He had a long layoff, so he probably thought a lot about if he came back, what he was going to change,” reliever Adam Ottavino said. “Seems to me like he’s keeping it pretty simple, and that works well when you have an older group or a good group.”

    Perched on the dugout railing, jotting down thoughts in his little black notebook while players reach for tablets nearby to scroll through game video, Showalter has brought a steady hand and wealth of experience to the Mets, helping to instill maturity and professionalism on a team that never lost more than three in a row this year.

    “It’s still about relationships,” he said. “It’s about the players. It’s always about the players, and trying to bring what they need. And every situation’s different. You don’t ask them to adjust to you, you adjust to what their needs are. That’s always been the same.”

    Off the field, Showalter likes to crack jokes with reporters and enjoys examining the nuances of baseball, whether it be an obscure rule or the proper way for a right-handed first baseman to guard the line late in a game.

    Ask him a question, he might expound on something completely off topic that was weighing on his mind.

    What makes him uncomfortable, though? Talking about his own success and quest for a championship.

    “I think he’s content, whether we win it, lose it (or if) he ever gets it,” Ottavino said. “But I think at the same time, if he does get it, I think you’ll find out then what it meant to him.”

    ———

    AP freelance writer Jerry Beach contributed to this story.

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Rockies beat Dodgers 5-2 after Urias departs in last start

    Rockies beat Dodgers 5-2 after Urias departs in last start

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    LOS ANGELES — Julio Urias made his final tune-up for the postseason and case for the Cy Young Award a solid one, though the Colorado Rockies went ahead after he left and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Tuesday night.

    Urias pitched five innings and allowed two runs — both on solo homers. He will finish the season as the National League’s ERA leader at 2.16 with a 17-7 record.

    “It’s incredible,” Urias said through an interpreter about winning the title. “Last year to win 20 games and this year to focus and win that ERA title, it’s something really special.”

    Randal Grichuk hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, his 19th, off Andrew Heaney (4-4) in the seventh inning.

    Clayton Kershaw pitches the final regular season game Wednesday. The Dodgers have a bye and will be off until the NLDS begins Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will play the winner of the New York Mets-San Diego Padres wild-card round.

    A decision on whether Kershaw or Urias is starting Game 1 or 2 has not been made yet, according to manager Dave Roberts.

    The Dodgers were held to just five hits and have lost three straight to the Rockies. The Dodgers clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs a while ago.

    “I’m not worried,” Roberts said of the recent offensive struggles. “I don’t think it’s worrisome. I think there’s a part of some human nature where there’s a little edge that’s not there given the circumstances. Our guys, the ones that aren’t feeling well, there’s guys in the cage right now trying to work on some things. It’s not for lack of effort. We’ll be ready. We’ll be ready when it counts.”

    The Rockies, who have 93 losses, earned at least a split in the six-game series.

    Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his 34th save.

    “It’s bittersweet for a lot of teams who aren’t in the playoffs,” manager Bud Black said. “We had higher hopes this year for sure. It’s a little tougher for those teams that had expectations. I’ve been at this a long time. We have some young guys just starting. (Wednesday) will be emotional in a couple different ways. You learn to quickly turn to next year, turn to the offseason and start looking forward with a season of hope.”

    Brendan Rodgers homered for the Rockies, hitting his 13th of the season to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. Sean Bouchard also homered off Urias, a solo shot in the third inning to make it 2-0. Bouchard has six hits over the last three games.

    Joey Gallo hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the fifth to tie the game at 2. It was his 19th homer of the season.

    Urias threw 83 pitches, including 22 to get out of the first, and held the Rockies to four hits.

    Urias wouldn’t campaign for himself for the Cy Young Award, preferring to keep the focus on the team.

    “Like I’ve said before, that’s out of my control,” Urias said. “My job is to go out there and do what I can to perform and to put the numbers that I put up. Whatever commentary is left over, that’s for everyone to pick and choose what they want to talk about. For me, it’s doing my job. I feel I’ve been doing my job every fifth day.

    “The focus is now on the postseason and doing my job for the postseason and trying to get another championship for the city of L.A. and finish it off, especially with all the criticism that goes along with that 2020 season. We want to finish off strong.”

    Ryan Feltner (4-9) earned the win after he pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits in his final start of the season. He struck out four and walked two.

    OH, DRONE

    The game was delayed for about 10 minutes because of a drone flying over the stadium. Players went to their respective dugouts when umpires cleared the field and play resumed without further delay. There was a delay during a game at Dodger Stadium in 2020 as well because of a drone.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Rockies: RHP Chad Kuhl (right triceps strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list and RHP Noah Davis was recalled from the taxi squad.

    Dodgers: OF Chris Taylor (neck) will start doing baseball activities on Wednesday. Dave Roberts said this weekend will be “pivotal” for him to see if he can be ready for the NLDS.

    UP NEXT

    Rockies: LHP Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.62) will try to make his case to be back in the Rockies rotation again in 2023 after being demoted to the bullpen this season. In 10 2/3 innings in September, he allowed seven earned runs and struck out seven.

    Dodgers: LHP Kershaw (11-3, 2.30 ERA) will make an abbreviated start in the regular season finale. Kershaw has won his last four starts and allowed just six earned runs over six starts in September.

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Nationals-Mets game rained out, doubleheader Tuesday

    Nationals-Mets game rained out, doubleheader Tuesday

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    NEW YORK — The scheduled game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets was postponed by rain Monday night and will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday at Citi Field.

    The first game is set to begin at 4:10 p.m., though the forecast Tuesday is similarly soggy.

    New York (98-61) began the day two games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East with three to play. The playoff-bound Mets have led the division for 175 days this season, but their chances of winning it all but disappeared last weekend when they were swept in three games at Atlanta.

    The only way the Mets take the NL East and bypass a best-of-three wild-card series this weekend is by sweeping three games from the last-place Nationals while Atlanta loses all three at Miami.

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    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Phillies lose 5th straight, Cubs sweep season series 6-0

    Phillies lose 5th straight, Cubs sweep season series 6-0

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    CHICAGO — The Phillies lost their fifth straight game and dropped into a tie for the National League’s final wild card berth as the Chicago Cubs swept the season series from Philadelphia with a 2-0 victory on Thursday.

    Philadelphia was tied with Milwaukee at 83-72, pending the Brewers’ game against Miami later Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.

    Seeking their first playoff berth since 2011, the Phillies have lost the first three games of a season-ending 10-game trip and 10 of 13 overall since peaking at a season-best 80-62. Philadelphia has scored three runs or fewer in nine of those 13 games.

    “We’ve got to swing the bats a little bit better than we did, especially with runners in scoring position,” onterim manager Rob Thomson said, “But yeah, we’ve got to turn around here pretty quick. We’re getting good pitching. We’ve just got to string some hits together and we’ll be fine.”

    The Phillies were 22-29 on June 3 when Thomson replaced Joe Girardi as manager.

    Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker against Milwaukee, winning the season series 4-2. The Phillies go to major league-worst Washington for four games, then close with three at AL-best Houston. The Brewers finish with three games at home against Arizona.

    Bryce Harper had three of six hits for the Phillies, who are 1 for their last 21 with runners in scoring position. J.T. Realmuto went 0 for 4 and struck out twice in his 1,000th game.

    Philadelphia had not been swept in a season series of five or more games since Milwaukee went 7-0 in 2015.

    “We’re still in it,” said Harper, the reigning NL MVP. “We have seven games left. We’ve got a road ahead us, but we’ve got to keep playing, got to keep going, not having a mindset about losing and thinking about that.

    Harper said the team assembled by President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski was postseason caliber.

    “We’ve got a great team here,” Harper said. ”We’ve got a lot of great players. Dombrowksi put this team together to win games and get into the playoffs. You know, we need to do that.”

    Rookie Javier Assad (2-2) allowed five hits in five innings as he rebounded from pair of rough outings when he allowed eight runs in six innings. Keegan Thompson gave up one hit over three innings for his second big league save and first this year.

    Patrick Wisdom doubled twice and drove in a run and Seiya Suzuki was 2 for 3 as the Cubs completed a three-game sweep in which they limited the Phillies to three runs. Chicago has won eight of nine overall and swept the Mets in New York two weeks ago.

    “It’s fun to play well. It’s fun to win,” said Ian Happ, who drove in Chicago’s second run. “But those are the little things that motivate you as you kind of come down the stretch and being able to compete against good teams that are in playoff position.”

    Ranger Suárez (10-6) gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings. He had been 4-0 in 12 starts since a June 29 defeat to Atlanta.

    Three of Chicago’s first four batters reached. Wisdom’s first double drove in a run in what would have been a bigger rally had Willson Contreras not been out at home on Happ’s chopper to Suárez,

    Suzuki tripled with two outs in the fifth when center fielder Brandon Marsh lost his deep fly in the sun and the ball dropped in front of him, inches from his glove. Suzuki scored on Happ’s single.

    Happ made a nifty sliding catch of Marsh’s fly at the left side wall for the first out of the ninth.

    SUZUKI RETURNS

    Suzuki played his first game after returning from paternity leave in Japan.

    LOSING COUNT

    After singling in these second, Jean Segura was tagged out by Assad to end the inning after he wandered off first after losing track of the count to batter Nick Maton. The count was 3-1, but Wrigley’s antique center-field scoreboard showed ball four. Segura pointed the scoreboard, to no avail.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Phillies: OF Nick Castellanos was held out the starting lineup for a rest day, but pinch hit in the ninth and got an infield single. He returned Tuesday after missing three weeks with right oblique strain.

    UP NEXT:

    Phillies: LHP Bailey Falter (5-4, 4.21) and RHP Noah Syndergaard (9-10, 4.12) will start in a day-night doubleheader Friday. Both were sent to the team’s hotel in Washington in advance.

    Cubs: Adrian Sampson (3-5, 3.23) faces Cincinnati’s Graham Ashcraft (5-4, 4-18) on Friday as Chicago opens its final home series.

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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