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...
Phillies Suddenly Face A Risky Pitching Call In Must-Win Game
With the Phillies down to the final push in the chase for a postseason berth, every inning carries extra weight, and the rotation plan has become a real question as the Magic Number sits at two. Philadelphia still needs to stay ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, which leaves little room for error and makes Sundays pitching decision feel a lot bigger than a normal late-September start.
A bullpen game is on the table, a sign of how thin the options have become as the club tries to cover enough innings without overtaxing anyone. Aaron Nola could even be used in relief, while Jose Urquidy and Nestor Cortes are among the other possible arms to help piece together the night, leaving the Phillies to navigate one of those tricky spots where getting to the finish line may matter more than the method. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Could Be Headed For Another Ugly Outfield Fix
Luis Arraez left the Phillies game against the Brewers after suffering an ankle sprain, and the club is still sorting out what the injury means beyond the immediate concern of getting him healthy. The longer view matters here, because Philadelphia has already spent plenty of time trying to patch together its outfield and overall lineup mix, leaving little margin for another absence.
If Arraez cannot play, the Phillies may have to reshuffle things again at a time when the roster already feels unstable in the corners and out in the grass. It is the kind of injury update that can ripple quickly through the rest of the lineup, and for a team still searching for cleaner answers, the next few days could bring another awkward fix rather than a simple replacement. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Created An October Rotation Problem They Couldn't Afford
The Phillies left Milwaukee with a split that felt a lot heavier than a split normally should. Dropping the final two games against the Brewers tightened the Wild Card picture just enough to make every remaining decision look more complicated, especially with the postseason approaching and the club still trying to line up its preferred pitching order.
Zack Wheeler could end up being forced into a short-rest assignment if Philadelphia still has not locked down a playoff berth before the final game of the regular season, and that is not the kind of place this team wanted to be. Jess Luzardo remains on the injured list, which only adds to the uncertainty, and the Phillies would rather lean on as few pitchers as possible once October begins. [Read more 🡒]