Phillies shut out by Rays in opener of final regular-season series, pushing playoff hopes to the brink, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/phillies-shut-out-rays-opener-final-regular-season-series-pushing-playoff-hopes-brink)

The Philadelphia Phillies lost 2-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of their final regular-season series, pushing their playoff hopes to the brink and missing a third straight opportunity to clinch a postseason berth.

The Rays jumped out early with an RBI single from Jonny DeLuca in the first inning and a solo home run by Nick Fortes in the second. Meanwhile, the Phillies’ offense continued its late-season slump, getting shut out for the 12th time this year and hearing boos from the home crowd as players like Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh struggled at the plate. Freddy Peralta earned the win for Tampa Bay by pitching 5.1 scoreless innings, while Bryan Baker closed out the game for his 41st save, despite a strong performance from Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, who struck out 10 batters over seven innings.

The loss narrowed the Phillies’ lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League wild-card race down to two games with only two games left to play. The team’s offensive struggleshaving scored just two runs over their previous 27 inningsmean the playoff push will come down to the final weekend of the regular season. If the race forces a deciding game on Sunday, the Phillies would be compelled to throw ace Zack Wheeler, potentially burning him for the opening games of the NL Wild Card Series.