2023 MLB playoffs: Phillies reach NLDS as every wild-card series ends in sweep

PHILADELPHIA – It wasn’t even a speed bump.

Major League Baseball’s wild-card round was over before the paint could dry on the postseason field logos, with all four series ending in two-game sweeps.

Yet it was a platform for the Philadelphia Phillies to reestablish their October dominance.

The Phillies played crisp and nearly flawless baseball – and had a helluva fun time doing it – in sweeping aside the National League East rival Miami Marlins. A 7-1 victory in Game 2 sent the Marlins into a Florida winter, while the Phillies advance to what’s likely the tastiest matchup in the Division Series:

A best-of-five rematch with the six-time NL East champion Atlanta Braves.

That 2022 NLDS established the Phillies’ championship bona fides when they stunned the Braves in four games on their way to the NL pennant. This year is setting up almost identically: Two games in Atlanta, followed by Game 3 back at thunderous Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 11.

Yet they come in with a deeper and more established club. Those Phillies upset the Cardinals on the road in the ’22 wild card series. These Phillies were prohibitive favorites and played like it, with No. 2 starter Aaron Nola following Zack Wheeler and tossing seven shutout innings at Miami.

Nola struck out three, gave up just three hits and induced two double plays. Nola and Wheeler’s totals against Miami: 13 1/3 innings, one earned run (0.68 ERA), 11 strikeouts and one walk.

When second baseman Bryson Stott crushed a pitch from reliever Andrew Nardi for a sixth-inning grand slam, the rest was a mere formality.

And the wild-card round was officially kaput – just an appetizer for a full meal beginning Saturday.

MLB playoffs schedule: Wednesday game times

• Texas Rangers 7, Tampa Bay Rays 1 – Rangers win series 2-0

• Minnesota Twins 2, Toronto Blue Jays 0 – Twins win series 2-0

• Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Milwaukee Brewers 2 – Diamondbacks win series 2-0

• Philadelphia Phillies 7, Miami Marlins 1 – Phillies win series 2-0

Twins sweep Blue Jays for first series win in 21 years

MINNEAPOLIS — One day, they’re ending their historic losing streak.

The next, they’re exorcising the ghosts of playoff series past.

The Minnesota Twins are going to the American League Division Series, sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays out of the playoffs 2-0 on Wednesday, sending a sellout crowd of 38,158 at Target Field into a frenzy.

It’s the first time the Twins have won a playoff series since 2002 when they beat the Oakland A’s in the ALDS with a lineup featuring the likes of Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Doug Mientkiewicz and A.J. Pierzynski.

So, one day after ending their 18-game losing streak in the postseason, they now have won two in a row, while snapping their nine playoff series losing streak.

While Royce Lewis was the hero in Game 1 with his two home runs, it was the Twins’ bullpen that were the stars in this one, getting the final 12 outs of the game after starter Sonny Gray pitched five shutout innings.

The Twins bullpen was sensational in this two-game series: 7 ⅓ innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.

The Twins, after a night of partying, will play the defending World Series champion Houston Astros on Saturday at Minute Maid Park in the opener of the best-of-five ALDS.

– Bob Nightengale

Diamondbacks come from behind again to sweep Brewers

MILWAUKEE — The Diamondbacks secured their first postseason series victory in 16 years by winning the sort of game that defined their season, coming from behind to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-2, in Game 2 to sweep their best-of-three wild-card series on Wednesday night at American Family Field.

The Diamondbacks will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five NLDS. Game 1 is Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Right-hander Zac Gallen worked six solid innings and the bullpen took care of the rest. Things got dicey in the eighth. The Brewers loaded the bases with one out against right-hander Kevin Ginkel, but rookie lefty Andrew Saalfrank came on to induce a pair of ground balls to end the threat.

By winning in two games, the Diamondbacks are well-positioned for the division series. Right-hander Merrill Kelly, who did not pitch against the Brewers, lines up to face the Dodgers in Game 1 with Gallen set for Game 2.

The Diamondbacks last won a postseason series in 2007, when they swept the Chicago Cubs in three games in the division series. They lost each of their next three series: the 2007 NL Championship Series (swept by Colorado), the 2011 NLDS (lost in five to Milwaukee) and the 2017 NLDS (swept by Dodgers), which came after they won a sudden-death wild-card game against the Rockies.

– Nick Piecoro, Arizona Republic

Bryson Stott's grand slam busts it open for Phillies

PHILADELPHIA – Bryson Stott put a slamtastic seal on this National League wild-card series Wednesday night.

Stott hit the Philadelphia Phillies’ first postseason grand slam in 15 years when he connected on an Andrew Nardi pitch and sent it 412 feet into right field.

And likely sent the Miami Marlins home for the winter.

Stott’s slam gave Philadelphia a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth and, with Aaron Nola taking a shutout into the seventh, put Philly on the brink of sweeping this best-of-three series. It was the first Phillies postseason grand slam since Shane Victorino took CC Sabathia deep in Game 2 of the 2008 National League Division Series.

– Gabe Lacques

Andrew Saalfrank puts Diamondbacks on edge of NLDS

Andrew Saalfrank made his MLB debut just 29 days ago. But with one out in the eighth inning Wednesday, Torey Lovullo summoned him with the bases loaded and the Diamondbacks clinging to a three-run lead.

Saalfrank responded perfectly, inducing two straight forceouts and preventing a run from scoring to clean up Kevin Ginkel's mess. The Diamondbacks lead, 5-2, entering the ninth inning.

– Theo Mackie, Arizona Republic

J.T. Realmuto home run extends Phillies' lead

Having pushed two runs across an inning earlier, Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to make it 3-0.

Realmuto's homer came off Marlins reliever David Robertson, who replaced starter Braxton Garrett to begin the fourth.

Realmuto hit three home runs in the 2022 postseason – including a go-ahead shot in the 10th inning of the World Series opener against the Astros.

Diamondbacks come back to take the lead

Ketel Marte’s two-run single in the top of the sixth gave the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead over the Brewers – but Arizona wasn’t done yet in the inning.

After Marte was thrown out at home on Christian Walker's fielder's choice, Brewers reliever Abner Uribe uncorked a wild pitch with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at the plate and the bases loaded, scoring Tommy Pham to make it 4-2. Gurriel followed up with an RBI single to make it 5-2.

The Diamondbacks overcame an early 3-0 deficit in Game 1 to win.

Phillies take lead over Marlins in the third

Kyle Schwarber’s one-out double off Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett brought Cristian Pache around to open the scoring and give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Trea Turner was the next man up and his RBI single scored Schwarber to make it 2-0.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola only gave up one hit in the first three innings.

Alek Thomas home run is D-backs' first hit

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta didn't allow a hit for the first 4 ⅔ innings, but Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas ended the no-hit bid with a solo home run to cut Milwaukee's lead to 2-1.

Thomas, 23, hit nine home runs in 125 games during the regular season.

Peralta has five strikeouts through five innings for the Brewers.

D-Backs catcher Gabriel Moreno removed after being hit in head

The Diamondbacks were forced to remove catcher Gabriel Moreno, one of their most important players, from Wednesday's Game 2 in the third inning.

On a strikeout to lead off the bottom of the second inning, Brice Turang caught Moreno on the top of his helmet. Moreno sat back for a second, before manager Torey Lovullo and trainer Max Esposito came out to speak with him. The trio spoke for nearly five minutes, seemingly attempting to diagnose whether Moreno needed to be removed from the game with concussion symptoms.

Eventually, Lovullo and Esposito allowed Moreno to receive two warmup pitches and, after further discussion, to remain in the game for the rest of the inning. After the inning, though, cameras showed Moreno walked into the clubhouse. When the Diamondbacks came back out on the field, he was replaced by Jose Herrera.

—Theo Mackie, AZCentral.com

Brewers out in front of Diamondbacks early

After losing Game 1 on Tuesday, the Brewers got off to a fast start with two runs and three hits against D-backs ace Zac Gallen in the first inning.

Rookie Sal Frelick hit a sacrifice fly and Willy Adames added an RBI single for Milwaukee, hoping to fight off elimination and force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday.

Blue Jays fail to score with bases loaded

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the sixth, Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar got Matt Chapman to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

It was the second inning in a row that the Blue Jays had two runners in scoring position and couldn't get a run across – after the fifth ended with a pickoff.

Through six innings, Toronto had left eight runners on base.

Twins escape jam with Sonny Gray's pickoff

Leading 2-0 in the top of the fifth with runners on second and third, Twins pitcher Sonny Gray picked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off second base to end the inning.

With Bo Bichette (who was 2-for-2) at the plate, shortstop Carlos Correa made the tag on Guerrero – with an instant replay review upholding the call on the field.

Minnesota can win its first playoff series since 2002 with a victory Wednesday, after snapping an 18-game postseason losing streak in Game 1

Twins score after questionable pitching change

In a move that will be highly criticized, the Minnesota Twins capitalized when Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider removed starting pitcher Jose Berrios after 47 pitches in the fourth inning.

In came reliever Yusei Kikuchi, who immediately gave up an infield single, a walk and a RBI single to Carlos Correa with the bases loaded. The Twins added a second run on a fielders choice to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.

– Scott Boeck

Rangers eliminate Rays to advance to AL Division Series

The Texas Rangers eliminated the 99-win Tampa Bay Rays from the postseason in easy fashion.

Led by homers from outfielders Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter in the fourth inning, the Rangers disposed of the Rays with a 7-1 win in Game 2 of the American League wild-card series.

The Rays offense went silent in the postseason, getting held scoreless in Game 1 and didn't manufacture a run until the seventh inning of Game 2.

The attendance in Game 2 was not much better than Game 1. The official attendance for today's elimination game was 20,198, up from 19,704 for Game 1.

The Rangers will face the Orioles in the ALDS beginning Saturday in Baltimore.

– Scott Boeck

Twins, Blue Jays scoreless through three

Toronto picked up four hits in the first three innings against Minnesota starter Sonny Gray but failed to score, leaving five runners on base. Shortstop Bo Bichette had two of those hits for the Blue Jays. of those hits.

The Twins didn't fare much better in the first third of Game 2, notching three hits against Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios without scoring a run.

Rays finally get a run ... but still trail Rangers 7-1

Curtis Mead's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh snapped Tampa Bay's 33-inning postseason scoreless streak that dated back to last October.

The MLB record is 34 scoreless innings, with the Los Angeles Dodgers being held without a run in the postseason from 1966-1974.

Heading into the top of the eighth, the Rangers lead 7-1 and need just six more outs to eliminate the Rays and advance to the American League Division Series.

Rangers break it open as Rays' postseason woes continue

Texas got RBI doubles in the top of the sixth from Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, pushing their lead to 7-0 – just 12 outs from eliminating Tampa Bay in the AL wild-card series.

The Rays offense has been held in check this postseason. Entering the sixth inning of Game 2 of the Wild Card matchup with the Texas Rangers, the Rays have been held scoreless in the last 32 postseason innings dating back to last October.

That is the most consecutive scoreless innings in the playoffs since the Pirates had a 29-inning scoreless streak between 1991-1992.

– Scott Boeck

Who is Rangers' Evan 'Full Count' Carter?

Evan Carter, who made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers on Sept. 8, has been a major factor in both wild card games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

In Game 1, he became the youngest player in MLB history to reach base safely four times in his postseason debut, according to the Rangers. At 21 years and 35 days, Carter doubled twice and walked twice, scoring one of Texas' four runs.

In Game 2, he slugged a two-run homer in the fourth inning to give the Rangers a 4-0 lead.

The outfielder has drawn praise for ability to control the strike zone. In spring training, he drew seven walks in 18 plate appearances, earning the nickname "Full Count Carter" because of his knack for working deep counts.

Carter had a rapid rise to the majors, spending just three years in the minors after he was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft. In 23 games in the majors, he batted .307 and drew 12 walks in 75 plate appearances.

– Scott Boeck

Evan Carter homers to give Rangers 4-0 lead

After three scoreless innings, the Rangers scored four times in the top of the fourth, capped by Evan Carter's two-run homer off Zach Eflin with two outs.

Adolis Garcia led off the inning with a home run and Josh Jung hit an RBI triple with two outs before the 21-year-old Carter cranked one over the right field wall.

Carter played 23 games as a rookie in the regular season, impressing with five homers, 12 RBI and a 1.058 OPS in 62 at-bats. In Game 1 on Tuesday, he went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two walks. Carter had walked in his first trip to the plate on Wednesday and with the home run, has reached base in his first six career postseason plate appearances.

Adolis Garcia home run breaks Rays-Rangers deadlock

Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia drilled a home run to left off Zach Eflin to open the scoring.

Garcia, an All-Star this season, unleashed an epic bat flip after giving Texas the 1-0 lead – hoping to clinch the wild-card series with a win in Game 2 on Wednesday.

It was the first career playoff homer for Garcia, who set career highs with 39 homers and 107 RBI in 2023.

Rangers, Rays scoreless through three

In the first game of the day, Rays starter Zach Eflin has worked around a pair of doubles – Corey Seager in the first inning and Josh Jung in the third – to keep the Rangers off the board.

Texas is 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position through three innings – including Marcus Semien hitting into a double play with runners on first and second and no outs in the third. Eflin struck out Robbie Grossman with men on first and third to end the frame.

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi has five strikeouts through three innings.

Who is Brewers' 'Front Row Amy'?

The front row of last night's Brewers-Diamondbacks wild-card game was full of well-known characters.

Laurence Leavy, better known as Marlins Man, was seated between M&Ms Jacket Guy ― a well-known fixture at Chicago White Sox games ― and Front Row Amy, an avid Brewers fan and season ticket holder who's sat in the front row at American Family Field at most games for over a decade.

Amy is well known for attending Brewers games, where she scores every pitch in her scorebook. She also became recognized for game day attire and the fact that she stays for the entire game and seems to never leave her seat.

Amy quickly became a sensation online and at Brewers games, where other fans would routinely approach her and ask for a photo. − Claire Reid

Diamondbacks extend GM Mike Hazen through the 2028

MILWAUKEE — The Diamondbacks, who are one win away from advancing to the NL Division Series, have extended the contract of Mike Hazen, locking up their general manager to a deal that is guaranteed through 2028 with a club option for an additional year, according to sources.

Hazen had already been under contract through next year with a team option for 2025. This contract, a five-year deal, replaces his old one. It was worked out sometime in the past two weeks, sources said. − Nick Piecoro

Twins rookie Royce Lewis was 'made for this'

MINNEAPOLIS — When Royce Lewis walked to the plate Tuesday, listening to the thunderous ovation, he actually stopped before he stepped into the batter’s box. He looked around Target Field at the sellout crowd of 38,450. He looked towards the fans above the Twins dugout. He spun around, and gazed towards the fans sitting in the third-base side above the Toronto Blue Jays’ dugout.Lewis, 24, stepped in and six pitches later, immediately made history as the youngest player in franchise history to hit a postseason homer in 100 years.

He came to bat again in the third inning and homered again, this time to right field, becoming only the third player in baseball history to hit home runs in his first two postseason plate appearances.

Just like that, Lewis will forever be known as the man who personally ended the longest postseason losing streak in North American sports, a one-man wrecking crew in the Twins’ 3-1 wild-card victory over the Blue Jays.

“I had to soak it all in," Lewis said, standing quietly in front of his locker after most of his teammates departed. “I got that advice from [Twins Hall of Famer] Joe Mauer. The first game, I had to do that. You never know when you're going to be in this situation.

“This is a moment I dreamed of. I thought of that Kirk Gibson homer. I thought of the streak. I thought of everything."

− Bob Nightengale

Phillies top Marlins in playoff opener, a win with a ring-fingered endorsement

PHILADELPHIA — On a night their raucous ballpark at the base of South Broad Street officially became the toughest playoff venue for opponents in baseball history, the Philadelphia Phillies both overwhelmed the Miami Marlins and also got lost in the hysteria of Citizens Bank Park, themselves.

You could see it when Nick Castellanos smacked a crucial fourth-inning double off Miami Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo, steamed into second and balled his hand into a fist.

Only for a middle finger to emerge − thankfully, for the FCC and parents watching at home, the ring finger.

"I just found myself doing it," Castellanos said in the haze of a Phillies clubhouse that was the scene of a postgame smoke show. "And I thought, did I just do that? It just came out."

This October, they’re just getting started. But Tuesday night, with a 4-1 victory over the Marlins in Game 1 of their NL wild-card series, they registered the first of what they hope is 13 conquests on their way to a championship.

− Gabe Lacques

How does the MLB wild-card round work?

The best-of-three wild card format is in its second season. The format was changed in 2022 from the sudden death one-game format that was in place since 2012 with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic-affected 2020 season.

Six teams each from the American League and National League qualified for the postseason, including the three division winners in each league. The three wild card teams in each league are the teams with the best records that didn’t win their division.

The top two division winners with the best records in each league got a bye and don’t have to play in the wild card round. One big advantage for the higher seed in those wild card series is they get to host all three games.

The Rangers-Rays winner faces Baltimore in the Division Series, the Twins-Blue Jays winner plays Houston, the Phillies-Marlins winner starts at Atlanta and the Brewers-Diamondbacks winner gets a matchup with the Dodgers. − Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2023 MLB playoff highlights: Phillies to NLDS, all series end in sweep