Wilson drives in tiebreaking run, Wheeler strikes out 9 as Philadelphia Phillies beat Rays for sweep
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Weston Wilson drove in the tiebreaking run with an infield single down the third-base line, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Rays 3-2 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Nick Castellanos homered and Zack Wheeler struck out nine batters over six innings as the Phillies reduced their magic number to clinch their first National League East title since 2011 to nine.
Wilson's hit came with two outs in the sixth and went all of 70 feet down the line, but it was perfectly placed and allowed Castellanos to score from third. It marked the third-straight game a Philadelphia bench player came up with the go-ahead hit.
The Rays immediately asked home plate umpire John Bacon if the ball hit Wilson on the way down the line, but Bacon said it did not.
"It moved a lot more than I thought it was going to and it just got in on me," Wilson said. "I think they were trying to say that it hit me, but I did not feel a thing. So, that was kind of news to me. Even going back and looking at the video, it didn't look like it hit me."
Wilson was a late addition to the lineup for Philadelphia, replacing Kyle Schwarber, who was scratched after feeling discomfort in his left elbow during batting practice. Schwarber was removed from the game on Tuesday after hyperextending the elbow while diving into first base on a pickoff attempt, but was still expecting to play until a little more than two hours before the game.
With several injured regulars out of the lineup, the Phillies got game-winning hits from Kody Clemens and Cal Stevenson in the first two games of the series. Wilson kept it going.
Add in Buddy Kennedy, who had a key walk to set up Clemens' game-wining hit on Monday and an RBI hit replacing Schwarber on Tuesday, and Aramis Garcia, who made three key defensive plays in place of injured catcher J.T. Realmuto Wednesday, and the Phillies have been getting a lot of production from players who spent most of the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
"I think it's a testament to how we take care of business down there," Wilson said. "(The Phillies) putting trust in guys to come up in big situations has helped guys flourish in those opportunities."
Castellanos gave the Phillies an early lead when he hit a 1-1 slider into the first row of the left-field seats. The two-run shot was his 20th home run and marked the sixth time in his career that Castellanos reached the 20-home run plateau in a season.
It was his first at bat against the Rays following the incident Tuesday when he was intentionally hit by a pitch by Tampa Bay reliever Edwin Uceta during an eighth-inning rally. Major League Baseball originally suspended Uceta for three games and Tampa manager Kevin Cash for one game Wednesday afternoon. Uceta's suspension was later reduced to two games.
Cash took the opportunity to approach Castellanos during batting practice to apologize for what happened the night before.
"I think that it's awesome that they recognize that there was foul play," Castellanos said. "I have respect for Cash for being honest and (manning) up. There's a right way to play the game and a wrong way to play the game and just admitting that is all I could ask for."
Castellanos was hit again in the eighth inning Wednesday, by Kevin Kelly, although this one didn't result in the benches clearing.
Wheeler (15-6) allowed two runs and four hits over six innings to earn the win. Carlos Estevez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 25th save.
"It was a battle," Wheeler said. "I didn't have my best command and all that, but I got through it. I got through six."
The Rays scored their two runs off Wheeler on an RBI single by Taylor Walls in the second and a solo home run by Jonathan Aranda in the sixth.
Drew Rasmussen (0-1) took the loss in relief of Shane Baz who allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
UP NEXT
Rays: Start a four-game series in Cleveland on Thursday. RHP Ryan Pepiot (8-6, 3.66) throws for Tampa against RHP Gavin Williams (3-8, 5.25) for the Guardians.
Phillies: Host the New York Mets for a three-game series starting Friday. RHP Aaron Nola (12-7, 3.41) throws for Philadelphia against LHP Jose Quintana (8-9, 4.09) for New York.
