September 12 – Nick Castellanos got revenge against the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and later driving in a single to give the host Philadelphia Phillies a 3–3 win, sealing a three-game winning streak.
The Phillies (88-58) moved to a season-high 30 games above .500 with benches empty after Castellanos was hit by a pitch from Rays reliever Edwin Uceta in the eighth inning. Uceta was suspended for three games by MLB on Wednesday, while Tampa Bay coach Kevin Cash was suspended for one game.
Zach Wheeler (15-6) pitched six solid innings to give Philadelphia its third consecutive win. The one who did them the most damage was Jonathan Aranda, who had a double and a home run for the Rays (71-75).
With the score tied 2-2, the Phillies got two outs in the sixth inning off Drew Rasmussen (0-1). Castellanos walked to load the bases and moved to third on Brandon Marsh’s single. Weston Wilson then hit a slow grounder into no man’s land in left for an infield single that scored Castellanos.
Matt Stram, José Alvarado, and Carlos Esteves all finished the game with scoreless innings.
Wheeler allowed 2 runs, 4 hits, 9 strikeouts and 3 walks. Rays starter Shane Baez gave up two runs on three hits, walked four and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings.
Castellanos hit two home runs in the first game, his 20th of the season. After a 1–1 Falcons slider, he trapped the ball over the wall in left field for his first home run of the month.
Wheeler walked the first two batters of the second inning and paid the price on Taylor Walls’s two-out single to give the Phillies a 2–1 lead.
Wheeler allowed a leadoff triple to Brandon Lowe in the third inning but survived by striking out the next three batters. He then added a leadoff double in the fourth inning, with second baseman Bryson Stotts catching Aranda at home plate for the second out.
However, Aranda gave up a home run two innings later and hit a home run in the sixth to put the Rays up 2–2.
——Visual-level media
