The Tampa Bay Rays earned their 97th win with a 2-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Freddy Peralta delivered 5.1 scoreless innings in his final start before the MLB playoffs, while Bryan Baker recorded his 41st save as Tampa Bay prepares for the ALDS.
The Tampa Bay Rays picked up their 97th win of the season on Friday as they shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on the road in their final series opener of the regular season.
The team looks to continue to add momentum as they are just a few days away from the MLB postseason to begin.
Here is what you need to know from the contest.
Peralta is ready.
It was another fantastic start for Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta, as he picked up his 10th win of the season. During that time, he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, struck out four, and walked three Phillies across 93 pitches.
In what is his last start before the postseason, Peralta has truly shown that he can be trusted as a starter when the American League Division Series begins next week. After being traded to Tampa Bay from the New York Mets this season, Peralta has truly turned his year around and is once again showing ace-like stuff from years prior.
The Rays' bullpen was also on fire Friday night as Kevin Cash used some of his big dogs to take care of business against Philadelphia. Tampa Bay utilized four relievers, including Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly, Cole Sulser, and Bryan Baker, all pitching scoreless and hitless outings. Baker picked up his 41st save of the year and is now the seventh pitcher in Rays history to register 40 or more saves in a single season.
Should we worry?
Although Tampa Bay got the win, it wasn't pretty on the offensive side.
Tampa Bay only recorded six hits in the contest, and one of their two runs came on a solo home run from catcher Nick Fortes.
The main issue is the team struck out 12 times in the outing, including 10 against starting pitching. Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez was outstanding on the mound, something Tampa Bay is going to see a ton of over the next few weeks in the playoffs. Elite pitching.
Two more to go.
Tampa Bay has two more games left in the regular season as they look to finish strong and head into the playoffs with as much momentum as possible.
As for the Phillies, there is still plenty to play for in the final few games of the year. They are one of two teams battling for the final spot in the National League playoffs. A win on Saturday and a loss by the Arizona Diamondbacks would clinch a postseason berth.
Griffin Jax will get the start on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the middle game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 pm Eastern.
