Weston Wilson drives in tiebreaking run with infield single as Phillies beat Rays 3-2 for sweep

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Weston Wilson drove in the tiebreaking run with an infield single down the third-base line, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Rays 3-2 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

Nick Castellanos homered and Zack Wheeler struck out nine batters over six innings as the Phillies reduced their magic number to clinch their first National League East title since 2011 to nine.

Wilson’s hit came with two outs in the sixth and went all of 70 feet down the line, but it was perfectly placed and allowed Castellanos to score from third. It marked the third-straight game a Philadelphia bench player came up with the go-ahead hit.

Wilson was a late addition to the lineup for Philadelphia, replacing Kyle Schwarber, who was scratched after feeling discomfort in his left elbow during batting practice. Schwarber was removed from the game on Tuesday after hyperextending the elbow while diving into first base on a pickoff attempt, but was still expecting to play until a little more than two hours before the game.

With several injured regulars out of the lineup, the Phillies got game-winning hits from Kody Clemens and Cal Stevenson in the first two games of the series. Wilson kept it going.

Castellanos gave the Phillies an early lead when he hit a 1-1 slider into the first row of the left-field seats. The two-run shot was his 20th home run and marked the sixth time in his career that Castellanos reached the 20-home run plateau in a season.

It was his first at bat against the Rays following the incident Tuesday when he was intentionally hit by a pitch by Tampa Bay reliever Edwin Uceta during an eighth-inning rally. Major League Baseball suspended Uceta for three games and Tampa manager Kevin Cash for one game Wednesday afternoon.

Castellanos was hit again in the eighth inning Wednesday, by Kevin Kelly, although this one didn’t result in the benches clearing.

Wheeler (15-6) allowed two runs and four hits over six innings to earn the win. Carlos Estevez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 25th save.

The Rays scored their two runs off Wheeler on an RBI single by Taylor Walls in the second and a solo home run by Jonathan Aranda in the sixth.

Drew Rasmussen (0-1) took the loss in relief of Shane Baz who allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.

UP NEXT

Rays: Start a four-game series in Cleveland on Thursday. RHP Ryan Pepiot (8-6, 3.66) throws for Tampa against RHP Gavin Williams (3-8, 5.25) for the Guardians.

Phillies: Host the New York Mets for a three-game series starting Friday. RHP Aaron Nola (12-7, 3.41) throws for Philadelphia against LHP Jose Quintana (8-9, 4.09) for New York.

Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos, left, celebrates after hitting a two run home run off Tampa Bay Rays' Shane Baz during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda, right, high-fives Ben Rortvedt after hitting a solo home run off Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe, right, slides past Philadelphia Phillies' Weston Wilson for a triple during the third inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Tampa Bay Rays' Taylor Walls hits an RBI single off Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Tampa Bay Rays' Shane Baz throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos watches his two run home run off Tampa Bay Rays' Shane Baz during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos, left, scores a run past Tampa Bay Rays' Ben Rortvedt during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a girl, and wounding the Iranian ambassador, government and Hezbollah officials said.

Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. The Israeli military declined to comment.

A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others.

Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded — 200 of them critically.

Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.

Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on all hospitals to be on alert to take in emergency patients and for people who own pagers to get away from them. It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.

AP photographers at area hospitals said the emergency rooms were overloaded with patients, many of them with injuries to their limbs, some in serious condition.

The state-run National News Agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs — all areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence — had called on people to donate blood of all types.

The news agency reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas “the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported.”

The Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media said the explosions were the result of “a security operation that targeted the devices.”

“The enemy (Israel) stands behind this security incident,” the official said, without elaborating. He added that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.

Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cellphones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590 C (1,100 F).

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. On Tuesday, Israel said that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal.

Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby trapped cellphones and it’s widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.

Abby Sewell and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, and Josef Federman, in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.

Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Civil Defense first-responder carries a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)