houstonchronicle
PHILADELPHIA — The Tampa Bay Rays, already crowned champions of the AL East, put a damper on Philadelphia's postseason plans by handing the Phillies a 2-0 defeat on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. The loss denied Philadelphia a third consecutive opportunity to lock up a wild-card spot.
Entering the evening, the Phillies held a two-game cushion over Arizona for an NL wild card with three games remaining. A victory over Tampa Bay paired with an Arizona loss to San Diego would have punched Philadelphia's ticket to the playoffs for a fifth straight year. Instead, the Phillies absorbed their third straight loss, pushing any potential clincher to Saturday, when they are slated to use a bullpen game against the Rays.
Freddy Peralta (10-11) was sharp on the mound, working into the sixth inning to earn the win. The right-hander struck out four and scattered four hits over 5 1/3 frames. Bryan Baker closed things out with a scoreless ninth to record his 41st save.
Tampa Bay provided early offense. Jonny DeLuca laced an RBI single in the first inning, and Nick Fortes launched a solo home run in the second to give the Rays a lead they would not relinquish. The team is fine-tuning its roster ahead of the postseason, having already secured home-field advantage for the AL Division Series and potentially the AL Championship Series.
There was a brief scare for Tampa Bay when left fielder Chandler Simpson, who is batting .300, fouled a pitch off his right foot. He remained in the batter's box, visibly in pain, and eventually struck out to end the at-bat.
For Philadelphia, starter Cristopher Sánchez (18-7) was stellar in defeat, striking out 10 and walking just one over seven innings. The Phillies' offense, however, could not solve Peralta and the Rays' bullpen.
In a separate development, Major League Baseball has relocated the regular-season finale between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs from Fenway Park to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, due to a weekend storm threat in the Boston area. As a result, Tampa Bay temporarily cedes its home field.
Key Analysis
The Phillies' delay in clinching keeps them looking over their shoulder at Arizona, though they still control their own destiny. Meanwhile, the Rays continue to sharpen their form as they await their playoff opponent, with Peralta's outing offering a promising sign for the rotation. The venue switch for the Red Sox-Cubs series adds an unusual wrinkle to the final days of the regular season.
Originally reported by houstonchronicle.