Rays Rack Up 17 Hits, Drop Phillies to Brink in 12-1 Rout
The short version
- Rays beat the Phillies 12-1 on 17 hits Saturday night
- Junior Caminero hit his 42nd home run; Victor Mesa Jr. had four hits
- Griffin Jax exited after three innings when a line drive struck his back
- Phillips must win Game 162 or risk elimination by Arizona for the final NL wild card
- Nick Martinez is scheduled to start Sunday's finale for Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay hammered Philadelphia 12-1 on Saturday, leaving the Phillies needing a win in Game 162 to reach the postseason.
The Tampa Bay Rays rolled past the Philadelphia Phillies 12-1 on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, collecting 17 hits in the penultimate game of the regular season. The loss leaves Philadelphia in a must-win position heading into Game 162 on Sunday.
The Phillies' playoff fate is now out of their hands in one sense: a win on Sunday puts them in the postseason, but a loss combined with an Arizona Diamondbacks victory over the San Diego Padres would eliminate them from contention for the final National League wild card spot.
Tampa Bay's offense broke out after a quiet start to the series in which runs and hits had been scarce. Victor Mesa Jr. led the way with four hits, while leadoff man Yandy Diaz added three of his own. The Rays went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position, though the lineup still struck out nine times.
Junior Caminero got the scoring started with a first-inning home run, his 42nd of the season. The blast set the tone for a night in which Tampa Bay's bats overwhelmed a Philadelphia pitching staff fighting to keep its season alive.
Rays starter Griffin Jax left the game after three innings when he was struck in the back by a line drive in the bottom of the fourth. Before exiting, he had allowed two hits and no runs with one strikeout over 52 pitches. Manager Kevin Cash used seven pitchers in total.
Steven Matz followed Jax with one inning of work and earned his sixth win of the season. Manuel Rodriguez, recently activated from the injured list, surrendered Philadelphia's only run of the night. The six relievers behind Jax kept the Phillies off the board otherwise.
Tampa Bay, already assured of its next step, will await the winner of the American League wild card round between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, a series that begins Tuesday. First, the Rays can play spoiler on Sunday, with All-Star Nick Martinez scheduled to start against Philadelphia.
The season finale is set for Sunday, September 27 at 3:05 PM EDT at Citizens Bank Park, with coverage available on MLB.TV, Rays.TV, and NBC Sports Philadelphia.
