Phillies Lose to Rays, Leaving Playoff Berth to Finale

The Philadelphia Phillies lost 12-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, extending their losing streak to four games and leaving their postseason hopes to be decided in the regular-season finale. Philadelphia must beat Tampa Bay or have the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the San Diego Padres to secure the final National League wild-card berth, according to the reported qualification scenarios. If the Phillies lose and Arizona wins, Philadelphia is out; Arizona holds the tiebreaker. The loss followed a late-season slide that erased most of Philadelphia’s cushion in the race. The Phillies had held a 6.5-game lead over Arizona on September 1, but entered the finale with their playoff place unsettled. Their September record stood at 9-14 after Saturday’s game. The Diamondbacks played San Diego on Saturday, but the supplied reports do not give that game’s result. Tampa Bay took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Aaron Nola, who started on two days’ rest. Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer, and Richie Palacios drove in another run with a double. Nola allowed three runs and left after one inning.