Pitiful Phillies eliminated by Rays, 5-0
Shortened season ends by losing 7 of last 8 games
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. » Rookie pitcher Josh Fleming allowed four hits over six innings and the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies fromthe playoff race with a 5-0 victory Sunday.
Philadelphia needed a win over the Rays and losses by San Francisco and Milwaukee to earn its first playoff berth in nine years. The Brewers and Giants both lost, but the Phillies were unable to give themselves a chance.
The Phillies, who were swept by the Rays in the three-game series and lost seven of eight overall to finish the season, went 28-32 under first-year manager Joe Girardi. They went 81-81 in 2019 with Gabe Kapler at the helm.
Fleming (5-0) struck out five and walked one for the topseeded Rays, who will face No. 8 seed Toronto in a best-of-three wild-card series that starts Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
Oliver Drake, Aaron Loup and Ryan Sherriff completed a six-hitter.
Tampa Bay (40-20) has the AL’s top record after reaching the postseason last season as a wild card.
Pinch-hitter Kevan Smith had a run-scoring single in the second before Joey Wendle and Hunter Renfroe both had thirdinning RBI hits off Aaron Nola (5-5) that put the Rays up 3-0.
Nola gave up three runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Mike Brosseau hit an RBI triple that bounced over right fielder Phil Gosselin’s head and scored on Héctor Neris’ wild pitch when Michael Perez struck out to make it 5-0 in the sixth.
Philadelphia loaded the bases with two outs in fourth but Fleming got a grounder from Gosselin.
Phillies rookie Alec Bohm doubled in the eighth and had a hit in 18 of his last 20 games.