PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Freddy Peralta and four Tampa Bay relievers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Rays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Tampa Bay improved to 97-63. Philadelphia fell to 87-73. The Phillies remain in pursuit of the final National League wild-card spot. The game took 2 hours, 28 minutes and drew 40,133. Tampa Bay won for the first time in three games after dropping its previous two at Yankee Stadium. The Rays had already clinched a postseason berth and were playing for positioning.

Tampa Bay scored all it needed early. In the first inning, Yandy Diaz grounded out and Jonathan Aranda struck out swinging before Junior Caminero singled sharply to center field. Ryan Vilade followed with a sharp single to right, and Jonny DeLuca lined a single to right that scored Caminero and sent Vilade to third. Chandler Simpson grounded out to end the inning, but the Rays had a 1-0 lead. Nick Fortes added to it in the second with a leadoff home run to left field, his sixth of the season. Ben Williamson struck out before the homer, and Jorge Mateo popped out and Diaz grounded out after it. Fortes finished 1-for-4 with one home run and one RBI. DeLuca went 1-for-4 with one RBI.

Peralta turned that early support into a strong final regular-season start. The right-hander worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out four. He was not always precise, but he kept Philadelphia from producing a big inning. Kyle Schwarber grounded out and Trea Turner flew out in the first before Bryce Harper walked. Alec Bohm then grounded into a force out. In the second, Bryson Stott singled, Brandon Marsh flew out and Justin Crawford grounded into a double play. J.T. Realmuto lined out and Edmundo Sosa grounded out in the third before Schwarber walked and Turner struck out on a foul tip. Harper struck out and Bohm grounded out in the fourth before Stott walked and Marsh struck out. Crawford singled in the fifth, but Realmuto lined out, Sosa struck out and Schwarber grounded out.

Cristopher Sanchez matched Peralta for much of the night but took the loss. Sanchez pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He gave up the first-inning run and the second-inning homer, then settled in and retired the Rays in order in the sixth and seventh. At one point, Sanchez struck out seven straight Tampa Bay batters from the fifth into the seventh. He finished with double-digit strikeouts, but Philadelphia’s offense could not solve Tampa Bay’s bullpen. Sanchez’s record moved to 18-7.

The decisive moment came in the bottom of the sixth. Peralta began the inning by allowing a single to Turner and a single to Harper, putting runners on first and second. Bohm then grounded out to first baseman Aranda, moving Turner to third and Harper to second. Tampa Bay turned to Cam Booser, who got Stott to line out to second baseman Williamson and Bryan De La Cruz to line out to shortstop Mateo. The two lineouts stranded the tying runs in scoring position and preserved the 2-0 lead.

Booser earned the hold with two-thirds of an inning. Cole Sulser followed with a scoreless seventh, striking out one. Kevin Kelly worked a scoreless eighth, also striking out one. Bryan Baker finished with a perfect ninth for his 41st save. Baker retired Bohm on a lineout to right fielder DeLuca, Stott on a flyout to left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. in foul territory, and De La Cruz on a flyout to DeLuca. The Rays’ bullpen combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings and did not allow a hit or a walk.

Philadelphia’s best chance came in that sixth. The Phillies also got a two-out single from Crawford in the fifth, but Realmuto lined out to right fielder Vilade. In the eighth, Schwarber grounded out sharply to Aranda, Turner popped out to Mateo, and Harper struck out swinging. Philadelphia went down in order in the ninth. The Phillies finished with four hits, all singles. Stott had a single and a walk. Harper had a single and a walk. Turner and Crawford added singles. Schwarber walked. Philadelphia did not record an extra-base hit.

Tampa Bay finished with six hits. Caminero, Vilade and DeLuca singled in the first. Fortes homered in the second. Aranda singled in the third. Cedric Mullins singled in the ninth. Williamson walked in the ninth, but Fortes struck out to end the inning. The Rays did not need more. They improved to 97-63, matching the 2008 club for the third-most wins in franchise history behind the 2021 and 2023 teams. Tampa Bay had dropped its previous two games at Yankee Stadium before Friday’s win.

The Phillies, meanwhile, remained 87-73. They entered the night needing a win over Tampa Bay and a San Diego loss to Arizona later Friday to officially join the postseason field. The loss kept them waiting. Philadelphia had lost two of three to Milwaukee before the series opener against the Rays. The Phillies’ bullpen kept the game close. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Tim Mayza worked a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout. But the offense could not push a run across.

Peralta’s recent form has been strong. In his previous start against Boston, he worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts in a 2-1 win. Against Houston, he threw five scoreless, hitless innings with four strikeouts in a 14-4 win. His effort Friday gave Tampa Bay another quality start as it sets its postseason rotation. Baker’s 41st save closed it out. Fortes’ homer stood as the difference after DeLuca’s first-inning single.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay Rays 7, Philadelphia Phillies 5. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Philadelphia with a 55.3 percent probability to win. Philadelphia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 6.5.