The Rangers are headed to the ALDS after rolling past the Rays. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images) (Megan Briggs via Getty Images)
There were some intense games on the first day of the MLB postseason. As part of that, the Tampa Bay Rays played uncharacteristically sloppy baseball on Tuesday – and that continued on Wednesday.
The Texas Rangers defeated the Rays again 7-1, ending their wild card series and securing their ticket to the ALDS. It is the Rangers’ first postseason series win since 2011. The Rangers took a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field on home runs by Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter and an RBI triple by Josh Jung. They added three more in the next two innings to secure the six-run victory.
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just one run and six hits in his nearly seven innings on the mound. Texas had 12 hits as a team.
The Rangers next face the Orioles starting Saturday in Baltimore. The Rays have lost seven straight postseason games, the longest active losing streak in the league.
After the Twins’ historic win on Tuesday that ended their 18-game postseason losing streak, Minnesota made easy work of the Blue Jays and ended their streak on Wednesday. The Twins defeated Toronto 2-0 at Target Field, thanks largely to an early pitching change that stunned many fans.
The Blue Jays pulled starter Jose Berrios from the game in the fourth even though he had yet to give up a run on 47 pitches. The moment he was pulled, the Twins took a 2-0 lead with a single from Carlos Correa and an RBI from Willi Castro. From there, Minnesota secured the 2-0 win.
The Twins face the Houston Astros in the ALDS. The series win is the franchise’s first since 2002.
Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides the latest news, scores and injuries on day two of the MLB playoffs.