Eury Pérez ended his season with the kind of start pitchers dream about and hitters hate to see. The Marlins right-hander worked a complete-game one-hitter in Friday’s 3-0 win over the Braves, with Sean Murphy’s sixth-inning single standing as Atlanta’s only hit.
Pérez walked one and struck out eight on a career-high 105 pitches. It was his first complete game, and the first time in his three MLB seasons that he got through more than seven innings in a start.
Elsewhere in the playoff picture, the Diamondbacks kept pushing the pressure onto Philadelphia with an 11-4 win over the Padres that stretched their winning streak to six. The Phillies, meanwhile, dropped a 2-0 decision to the Rays and have managed just two runs during a three-game skid at the worst possible time.
With two games left in the regular season, Philadelphia is 87-73 and Arizona sits one game back at 86-74 for the final NL wild card spot. The D’Backs also own the tiebreaker.
Chicago, at 88-73, is only a half-game ahead of the Phillies, while San Diego is 89-71 and sitting in the top wild card position. The Padres and Cubs have already clinched, but the final weekend still has room for some tricky three-way tie scenarios, whether that’s for seeding or to sort out who gets in between Philadelphia and Arizona.
The AL West is headed toward a strange bit of history. Houston and Texas both lost Friday, dropping each club to 79-81 and guaranteeing that the division winner will finish with no better than a .500 record.
It also means baseball will have its first playoff team with a non-winning record. The Astros hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers and can clinch the division today with a win over the A’s plus a Texas loss to the Twins.
Hayden Wesneski gets the ball for Houston against Jack Perkins, while Nathan Eovaldi starts for Texas against Minnesota’s Bailey Ober.
The AL Central race is still alive too, with Cleveland up a game on Chicago and the White Sox holding the tiebreaker. Both clubs won Friday, and Chicago’s 6-1 victory over the Rockies carried an unwanted piece of history for Colson Montgomery, who set a new MLB record with his 224th strikeout of the season.
Friday also delivered a few cleaner milestones. Elly De La Cruz became the fourth 30/30 player in Reds history when he swiped third base in the third inning of Cincinnati’s 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays. Carson Benge’s 20th homer came in the Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Nationals, making him the first New York rookie - and just the eighth rookie ever - to reach 20/20 in his first big league season.
And today brings one more notable finish: Justin Verlander is set to make the 557th and final start of his 21-year career. The future Hall-of-Famer is coming off the 60-day injured list to take the mound for the Tigers against the Pirates in what will be his last outing.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Roster Move Puts Jesus Sanchez In A Tough Spot
Gabriel Morenos left hamstring injury has already forced the Diamondbacks to shuffle their catching mix, with Moreno expected to serve as the designated hitter in the next game while James McCann handles the workload behind the plate. To cover the backup role, Arizona is set to bring up a Triple-A catcher, a move that also clears the path for another roster change as the club tries to patch together its depth on the fly.
That opening leaves Jesus Sanchez in a difficult spot. Arizona is designating the outfielder for assignment to make room, and the move reflects how quickly his opportunity faded after the team claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays. Sanchez has struggled on both offense and defense this season, and unless something unexpected changes in the process, he is expected to be released after clearing waivers. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Playoff Push Just Got A Lot More Complicated
Brandon Pfaadt did his part in the opener, working 7.2 innings and allowing four runs as the Diamondbacks took game one of the series, but the bigger news around the club arrived after the final out. Corbin Burnes was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation following an MRI, leaving Arizona to reshuffle a rotation that was already under pressure as the postseason chase tightens.
Ryne Nelson is expected to get the ball in game two, while Gabriel Moreno is expected to be fine after leaving early with leg tightness and should stay in the lineup as the designated hitter once the club brings up another catcher. The roster churn did not stop there, either, with Jesus Sanchez designated for assignment, another reminder that Arizona is trying to patch holes on the fly while keeping pace in a crowded race. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Surge Is Suddenly Making Philadelphia Sweat
The Phillies have been trending toward a Wild Card berth for a while, but Arizonas latest surge has turned what looked like a comfortable finish into a genuine race. The Diamondbacks have won five straight and, with the tiebreaker in hand, they are suddenly putting real pressure on Philadelphia to finish the job before the calendar flips to the postseason.
Philadelphia still needs a combination of two wins and Diamondbacks losses to lock up the spot, and the timing matters as much as the math. If the Phillies have to wait until their final regular-season game, they may need Zach Wheeler to take the ball, which could ripple into their Wild Card series starting Sept. 29. [Read more 🡒]