Mike Zunino, Brandon Lowe and Willy Adames had two-out, run-scoring singles in the fifth inning as the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays beat Philadelphia 4-3 Saturday night and damaged the Phillies' postseason hopes.
Andrew McCutchen had four hits for Philadelphia, which has lost six of seven. The Phillies started the day a game behind San Francisco for the second NL wild card. The Giants faced San Diego later Saturday.
Tampa Bay clinched the AL No. 1 seed about 30 minutes before game time, when Oakland lost 5-1 to Seattle in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Rays have an AL-best 20 come-from-behind wins this season. The Phillies have lost a major league-leading 21 games after holding a lead.
The Rays' three-run fifth came against Zack Wheeler (4-2) and gave Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead.
Wheeler gave up four runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings, and had his streak of starting the season with 10 starts of at least 5 2/3 innings and three or fewer runs end. Only Curt Schilling who began the 1998 season with 11 straight, had a longer run for the Phillies since 1900.
Bryce Harper had a run-scoring single in the seventh that got the Phillies within 4-3.
McCutchen put the Phillies up 2-1 on a solo shot during the fifth off reliever Pete Fairbanks (6-3).
Aaron Slegers went the final three innings and earned his second save.
McCutchen appeared to have a leadoff triple in the third, but was sent back to second after a video review determined the ball got stuck under the center field fence. It eventually cost Philadelphia a run when McCutchen was thrown out at the plate by center field Kevin Kiermaier on a two-out single by J.T. Realmuto.
Rays opener John Curtiss allowed a run and three hits in two-thirds of an inning. He became the eighth pitcher since saves became an official stat in 1969 to record a save and then start the team’s next game.
Philadelphia rookie Alec Bohm went 2 for 4 and has a hit in 17 of his last 19 games, including 11 multi-hit games. He has 39 hits this month.
POSTSEASON PLANS
Rays manager Kevin Cash made it official that LHP Blake Snell will start Game 1 on Tuesday in a first-round playoff series. RHPs Tyler Glasnow and RHP Charlie Morton round out the rotation.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: Harper (back) was the DH for the third straight game. ... Realmuto (left hip flexor) started at catcher after playing first base in the previous two games. ... 1B Rhys Hoskins (left elbow strain) could take batting practice Sunday.
Rays: LHP José Alvarado (left shoulder inflammation) threw to 1B Ji-Man Choi (left hamstring strain) and INF Yandy Díaz (right hamstring strain).
UP NEXT
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (5-4) will start Sunday’s regular-season finale against Tampa Bay. The Rays have not announced a starter.
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