1 of 5 | Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott hits a grand slam in the sixth inning of an MLB National League Wild Card Series win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Photo by Laurence Kesterson/UPI | License Photo
The Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers each completed two-game sweeps of their foes to win their respective Wild Card Series, advancing in the 2023 MLB playoffs.
The Rangers started the Game 2 slate with a 7-1 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. Advertisement
Starter Nathan Eovaldi allowed just one run over 6 2/3 innings to keep the Rays quiet. Outfielders Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter homered in the victory. Third baseman Josh Jung went 3 for 4 with a triple, two doubles and an RBI.
“We’ve never gone down, we’ve never just gone away and rolled over,” Rangers shortstop Corey Seager told reporters. “To be able to do that in big moments and calm the nerves and everything like we did in this series, it’s really special.” Advertisement
Neither team scored for the first three innings of the Game 2 matchup. Garcia then belted a 416-foot solo homer to lead off the fourth. Jung gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead with an RBI triple four at-bats later.
Carter followed with a 391-foot, two-run homer in the next exchange.
First baseman Nathaniel Lowe increased the lead to 5-0 with an RBI groundout in the fifth. Second baseman Marcus Semien and Seager hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the sixth for a 7-0 Rangers lead.
The Rays plated their lone run on an RBI single from second baseman Curtis Mead in the bottom of the seventh.
The Rangers advanced out of the best-of-three series to battle the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles an American League Division Series. The winner of that best-of-five series will advance to the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.
In the second Game 2 on Thursday’s schedule, pitcher Sonny Gray logged five scoreless innings to lead the Twins to a 2-0 shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Twins scored both of their runs in the fourth inning. Gray and five relief pitchers then combined to allow four hits and no runs over the final five innings. Advertisement
Veteran shortstop Carlos Correa plated the game’s first run with an RBI single in the bottom of the third. Right fielder Max Kepler scored the final run of the night when outfielder Willi Castro grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the next at-bat.
Correa and fellow infielder Jorge Polanco recorded two hits apiece in the win. Jhoan Duran allowed one hit in the ninth, but issued three strikeouts to secure the victory and earn a postseason save.
The Twins will meet the No. 2 Houston Astros in an American League Division Series.
The Diamondbacks were the first National League team to advance to a National League Division Series. They rallied, for a second-consecutive night, to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Center fielder Alek Thomas homered for the Diamondbacks. Second baseman Ketel Marte and left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also drove in runs in the victory.
Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen allowed five hits and two runs over six innings. Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich went 3 for 5 in the loss.
Center fielder Sal Frelick gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second. Shortstop Willy Adames doubled the lead with an RBI single in the next at-bat. Advertisement
Thomas provided the first Diamondbacks run with his 351-foot solo homer in the fifth. Marte hit a two-run single in the sixth, giving the Diamondbacks the tying and go-ahead runs.
Designated hitter Tommy Pham scored another Diamondbacks run on a wild pitch in the same inning. Gurriel hit an RBI single in the next exchange for the final run of the night.
The Diamondbacks will meet the No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers in a National League Division Series.
The Phillies, who beat the Miami Marlins 7-1 in their Wild Card finale, advanced to face the top-seeded Atlanta Braves in the other National League Division Series.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola was nearly untouchable, allowing just three hits over seven scoreless innings.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto and second baseman Bryson Stott homered for the Phillies. Stott hit a 412-foot grand slam in the sixth to seal the victory.
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hit an RBI double in the bottom of the third to start the scoring. Shortstop Trea Turner followed with an RBI single in the next at-bat for a 2-0 lead.
Realmuto hit a 404-foot solo homer in the fourth. Stott belted his grand slam two innings later to slam the door on the victory. Advertisement
The Marlins scored their lone run on an RBI single from first baseman Josh Bell in the top of the ninth.
The Braves will host the Phillies in Game 1 on Saturday in Atlanta.
Schedule
All times EDT
NLDS/ALDS
Saturday
Game 1: Rangers at Orioles at 1 p.m. on Fox/FS1
Game 1: Phillies at Braves on TBS
Game 1: Twins at Astros on Fox/FS1
Game 1: Diamondbacks at Dodgers on TBS
Sunday
Game 2: Rays or Rangers at Orioles on Fox/FS1
Game 2: Twins or Blue Jays at Astros on Fox/FS1
Monday
Game 2: Phillies or Marlins at Braves on TBS
Game 2: Brewers or Diamondbacks at Dodgers on TBS
Tuesday
Game 3: Astros at Twins or Blue Jays on Fox/FS1
Game 3: Orioles at Rays or Rangers on Fox/FS1
Wednesday
Game 3: Dodgers at Brewers or Diamondbacks on TBS
Game 3: Braves at Phillies or Marlins on TBS
Game 4: Astros at Twins or Blue Jays on Fox/FS1
Game 4: Orioles at Rays or Rangers on Fox/FS1
Oct. 12
Game 4: Dodgers at Brewers or Diamondbacks on TBS
Game 4: Braves at Phillies or Marlins on TBS
Oct. 13
Game 5: Rays or Rangers at Orioles on Fox/FS1
Game 5: Twins or Blue Jays at Astros on Fox/FS1 Advertisement
Oct. 14
Game 5: Phillies or Marlins at Braves on TBS
Game 5: Brewers or Diamondbacks at Dodgers at TBS
MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks take first game in NL Wild Card Series
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card game at American Family Field in Milwaukee on October 3, 2023. The Diamondbacks beat the Brewers 6-3. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
