ST. PETERSBURG. Fla.: Mike Zunino, Brandon Lowe and Willy Adames had two-out, run-scoring singles in the fifth inning as the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays beat Philadelphia 4-3 Saturday night and damaged the Phillies’ postseason hopes.
Andrew McCutchen had four hits for Philadelphia, which has lost six of seven. The Phillies started the day a game behind San Francisco for the second NL wild card. The Giants faced San Diego later Saturday.
Tampa Bay clinched the AL No. 1 seed about 30 minutes before game time, when Oakland lost 5-1 to Seattle in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Rays have an AL-best 20 come-from-behind wins this season. The Phillies have lost a major league-leading 21 games after holding a lead.
The Rays’ three-run fifth came against Zack Wheeler (4-2) and gave Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead.
Wheeler gave up four runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings, and had his streak of starting the season with 10 starts of at least 5 2/3 innings and three or fewer runs end. Only Curt Schilling, who began the 1998 season with 11 straight, had a longer run for the Phillies since 1900.
Bryce Harper had a run-scoring single in the seventh that got the Phillies within 4-3.
McCutchen put the Phillies up 2-1 on a solo shot during the fifth off reliever Pete Fairbanks (6-3).
Aaron Slegers went the final three innings and earned his second save.
McCutchen appeared to have a leadoff triple in the third, but was sent back to second after a video review determined the ball got stuck under the center field fence. It eventually cost Philadelphia a run when McCutchen was thrown out at the plate by center field Kevin Kiermaier on a two-out single by J.T. Realmuto.
Rays opener John Curtiss allowed a run and three hits in two-thirds of an inning. He became the eighth pitcher since saves became an official stat in 1969 to record a save and then start the teams next game.
Philadelphia rookie Alec Bohm went 2 for 4 and has a hit in 17 of his last 19 games, including 11 multi-hit games. He has 39 hits this month.
POSTSEASON PLANS
Rays manager Kevin Cash made it official that LHP Blake Snell will start Game 1 on Tuesday in a first-round playoff series. RHPs Tyler Glasnow and RHP Charlie Morton round out the rotation.
TRAINERS ROOM
Phillies: Harper (back) was the DH for the third straight game. … Realmuto (left hip flexor) started at catcher after playing first base in the previous two games. … 1B Rhys Hoskins (left elbow strain) could take batting practice Sunday.
Rays: LHP Jos Alvarado (left shoulder inflammation) threw to 1B Ji-Man Choi (left hamstring strain) and INF Yandy Daz (right hamstring strain).
UP NEXT
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (5-4) will start Sundays regular-season finale against Tampa Bay. The Rays have not announced a starter.
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