Takeaways from Tuesday's four wild-card games
It. Is. On. Eight teams were in action as the first day of the 2023 MLB playoffs began with the best-of-three wild-card round.
The Game 1 action in the American League saw the visiting Texas Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Rays and the Minnesota Twins end their 18-game postseason losing streak at home with a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The National League took center stage in the evening, with the Arizona Diamondbacks upsetting the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies beating the Miami Marlins.
We’ve got you covered with takeaways, live updates and analysis from the Day 1 games, as well as one thing to know for each Game 2.
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Takeaways
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Miami Marlins 1: On paper, the Marlins-Phillies was the biggest mismatch of the four wild-card series and that’s how Game 1 played out, with Zack Wheeler taking a shutout into the seventh and the Phillies knocking around Jesus Luzardo (five of their eight hits off him in his four innings of work were 104 mph or higher). It wasn’t quite an easy win for the Phillies, however, as the Marlins scratched across a run in the seventh thanks to a couple of infield singles and had the go-ahead run at the plate. Jose Alvarado came on and threw a from-another-planet 94-mph cutter to Yuli Gurriel to strike him out and end that threat. The Marlins had the tying run at the plate in the eighth but Jeff Hoffman came on and induced Jorge Soler to ground out. If Philadelphia’s bullpen keeps this up — and it’s deeper and better than last year’s pen — the Phillies have a chance to do more than just beat the Marlins. — David Schoenfield
One thing to know for Game 2: Last postseason, the Phillies rode the one-two punch of Wheeler and Aaron Nola deep into October. Wheeler did his part in Game 1 on Tuesday night, but Nola hasn’t been the same pitcher as he was a year ago, with a regular-season ERA rising to 4.46 in 2023 from 3.25 last season. Whether Nola can find that playoff touch again will play a big part in determining how far the Phillies go this month.
Arizona Diamondbacks 6, Milwaukee Brewers 3: For all the pre-series talk about Arizona’s speed, the Diamondbacks flashed the real winning postseason formula by mashing three homers over two innings off Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes. The spree began with a 440-foot bomb by probable NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, who stole 59 bases during the season but has plenty of muscle, too.
For the Brewers, the lament of Game 1 is one of missed opportunities. Twice they loaded the bases without scoring, including with no outs in the fifth. After Brice Turang struck out, Tyrone Taylor lashed what looked like a go-ahead single to left but Evan Longoria, who turns 38 on Saturday and was no sure bet to start this game, made a lunging, leaping, tumbling snag which he turned into a threat-killing double play. Before the game, Longoria said, “A lot of these games are going to come down to one or two big moments. We have to be ready and be prepared for those.” He was ready and Arizona is up 1-0 with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly lined up the next two days.
If the Brewers don’t win some of those big moments in Game 2, where they’ll have Freddy Peralta take the mound, they might never see Kelly. — Bradford Doolittle
One thing to know for Game 2: Taking the opener on the road is always nice, but in the D-backs’ case, winning Game 1 sets them up especially well for a potential series upset. Now Arizona hands the ball to ace Gallen in Game 2, with Kelly waiting, if needed, in Game 3, against a Brewers team that is without injured Brandon Woodruff.
Minnesota Twins 3, Toronto Blue Jays 1: The streak is over! The streak is over! This is not an exaggeration: The Twins’ 18-game postseason losing streak, dating back to 2004, was an unfathomable stretch of misery. Now that it’s ended and that burden eliminated, maybe the Twins can surprise in a wide-open AL bracket. Especially if Royce Lewis keeps hitting like this. The rookie was Minnesota’s best hitter but hadn’t played since Sept. 19 because of a hamstring injury. All he did was hit two home runs and drive in three runs against tough Kevin Gausman. Gausman challenged him with a 3-2 four-seamer in the first inning rather than his best pitch, a splitter, and Lewis crushed it for a two-run home run — just like he crushed four-seamers in the regular season. Feels like a bad pitch selection there from Gausman. Indeed, with Sonny Gray going in Game 2 against a Toronto lineup that just doesn’t scare you (Cavan Biggio hitting fifth?), the Twins might actually win their first postseason series since the 2002 ALDS. — Schoenfield
One thing to know for Game 2: Minnesota was rocking after the Twins finally ended their postseason losing streak in Game 1. Now they’ll try to clinch a spot in the ALDS against a familiar face in Game 2. Toronto starter Jose Berrios spent the first six years of his career in Minnesota before being dealt to the Blue Jays at the 2021 trade deadline. Berrios faces a tough task in his return to Target Field, with All-Star Gray set to take the mound for the Twins.
Texas Rangers 4, Tampa Bay Rays 0: The Max Scherzer acquisition got all the headlines at the trade deadline, but it’s a good thing Rangers general manager Chris Young traded for a second starting pitcher. Jordan Montgomery had a dominating performance against a high-powered Tampa Bay offense, tossing seven scoreless innings in the Rangers’ 4-0 victory. He has now allowed two runs in 34 innings in his past five starts and is looking like a postseason ace — even if an unusual one, since he’s not a big strikeout pitcher.
The other impressive performance: Rookie left fielder Evan Carter went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two walks (although Yandy Diaz should have made the play on one of the doubles). Carter is just 21 and didn’t make his MLB debut until Sept. 8, but he already looks like a star at the plate — he had a 1.058 OPS in his 23 regular-season games. Oh, and he hits ninth in the Rangers’ lineup. Yes, it’s a very good lineup.
The Rays played an awful game with four errors. Kevin Cash questionably left Tyler Glasnow in the game to start the sixth inning and Glasnow walked the first two batters, allowing the Rangers to put the game away with two more runs. — Schoenfield
One thing to know for Game 2: After winning 99 games in the regular season, the Rays will be putting their fate in the hands of Zach Eflin — who came to Tampa Bay as the highest-paid free agent signing in franchise history last offseason. Eflin was at his best at the Trop this year, going 11-4 with a 3.30 ERA and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings, compared to 5-4 with a 3.77 ERA and 8.0 K/9 on the road.
