The Cincinnati Reds will look to keep their flickering postseason aspirations alive on Wednesday when they conclude their abbreviated two-game interleague series against the host Cleveland Guardians.

Rookie Elly De La Cruz went deep twice for his first career multi-homer performance in Cincinnati’s 11-7 victory over Cleveland on Tuesday. De La Cruz added an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Reds (81-77), who have won two in a row to reside 1 1/2 games out of the third and final wild-card spot in the National League with four contests remaining on their schedule.

“He really looked good at the plate. He’s been working really hard at it,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said of De La Cruz. “The defense was good too. He had a really good game. Obviously that could really help our team and be important (for the stretch run).”

Luke Maile homered and ripped a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning to highlight his three-hit performance against the Guardians (74-84).

“The way our offense played tonight, it felt free and felt like we were on the attack, and we need that right now,” Maile said. “We’re playing with nothing to lose. That’s what got us here, and that’s what is gonna keep us moving forward.”

Cincinnati rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott (8-5, 3.70 ERA) will get the start on Wednesday against Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber (5-6, 3.91).

Abbott, 24, saw his winless stretch extend to six starts on Friday after allowing two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Abbott’s last win came at the expense of the Guardians on Aug. 16. He permitted two runs on six hits in five innings in a 7-2 triumph.

Abbott would be wise to pitch carefully to Andres Gimenez, provided the latter is in the lineup on Wednesday. Gimenez is batting .356 (31-for-87) with 13 RBIs and 15 runs in September. He exited Tuesday’s game in the seventh inning after fouling a pitch off his right knee.

Bieber, 28, returned from a two-month-plus absence to record a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner yielded five runs (four earned) and struck out five in five innings.

“I want to be a lot better than I was (on Friday), but my arm felt great,” Bieber said, per Cleveland.com. “There’s a lot of work to be done, a lot left to be desired, and I’m confident that I’ll be able to do all that. So it was another step in the right direction and we go forward.”

Bieber is 3-0 with a 3.51 ERA in five career starts against the Reds.

Wednesday’s game will serve as the final home game for Guardians manager Terry Francona. The 64-year-old Francona has yet to publicly announce his retirement, however he openly has joked about it.

In 11 seasons in Cleveland, Francona has a 919-755 record and the 2016 American League pennant to his credit.

The Guardians are honoring Francona by distributing “Thank you Tito” T-shirts to fans entering Progressive Field on Wednesday.

“Once you give out T-shirts, man, you can’t be going back. That’s not good,” Francona said.

–Field Level Media

The Tampa Bay Rays’ home playoff game against the Texas Rangers in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Tuesday attracted just 19,704 fans — the fewest for a major league postseason game since 1919 (excluding COVID-affected contests).

The Rays lost 4-0 in the opener of the American League wild-card series. It was their sixth straight playoff loss.

Tampa Bay played 33 more games this season that drew larger crowds than they attracted for the 3:08 p.m. ET playoff contest on Tuesday.

The teams will play Game 2 in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, when the Rays will hope to avoid making a second consecutive early playoff exit.

“The (fans) that were there made it pretty loud, I feel like,” Rays shortstop Taylor Walls said, per The Athletic. “It’s always nice when the seats are full, but at the same time, the people that did come showed up and showed out. Hopefully tomorrow we can pack it in a little bit more and the atmosphere will be what it was today or a little bit better.”

Game 7 of the 1919 World Series, a best-of-nine set featuring the Chicago White Sox and the Reds, was seen in person by just 13,923 people in Cincinnati. That series is infamous for the “Black Sox Scandal,” in which eight members of the White Sox team were banned from baseball for allegedly trying to throw games.

The Reds won that series in eight games.

–Field Level Media

MILWAUKEE — Freddy Peralta, moved up a day in the rotation, will try to extend the Milwaukee Brewers’ season on Wednesday.

The right-hander will start in place of injured ace Brandon Woodruff as the Brewers attempt to stave off elimination against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 2 of their best-of-three National League wild-card series.

Arizona, appearing in the postseason for the first time since 2017, won the series opener 6-3 on Tuesday, tagging Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes for three home runs to overcome a 3-0 deficit.

“I mean, you win Game 1, it feels good,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We have to do it right and take nothing for granted and stay humble and come here (Wednesday) and play our finest game and try to close them out.”

By clinching the NL Central title early, the Brewers set up the series for their Big 3 — Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta — but the advantage now shifts to the Diamondbacks.

Peralta, 12-10 with a 3.86 ERA in in the regular season, will get the call on Wednesday in place of Woodruff, who was ruled out for the series on Monday with an injury to his right (pitching) shoulder. Peralta hasn’t pitched since Sept. 24, as he was scratched from his final scheduled outing to give him extra rest ahead of the postseason.

Right-hander Zac Gallen (17-9, 3.47 ERA), gets the nod for Arizona on Wednesday, with right-hander Merrill Kelly (12-8, 3.29) ready for Thursday, if necessary.

In the opener, Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte hit back-to-back homers off Burnes in the third inning as the Diamondbacks climbed to a 3-3 tie. Gabriel Moreno put Arizona in front 4-3 with a leadoff homer in the fourth, and Burnes was done after walking the first two batters in the fifth.

“When you get a pitcher like Corbin Burnes out of the game in the fifth inning, you are doing a lot right,” Lovullo said. “So I feel like we had a really good game plan (Tuesday).”

Arizona added two runs in the ninth off Milwaukee closer Devin Williams, who threw 31 pitches and walked three while recording just two outs.

Milwaukee squandered several opportunities, stranding 11 men and going 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Brewers had the bases loaded with no outs in the fifth but failed to score. Brice Turang struck out, and then Arizona third baseman Evan Longoria made a leaping grab of Tyrone Taylor’s scorching liner and doubled the runner off second to end the inning.

“We did a great job putting pressure on them for five of the first six innings,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I think the leadoff runner, I felt like he was on probably five out of those six. Longoria made a great play, and we got caught off there.”

Peralta went 7-3 with a 3.09 ERA over his final 15 starts of the regular season, but he lost his last two, allowing five runs on 13 hits over nine innings.

Peralta has a spectacular career record against the Diamondbacks — 3-0 with a 0.55 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) — but he has not faced them since 2021.

He also has been effective in the postseason, producing no-decisions and a 1.13 ERA in three games (one start).

Gallen went 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in six September starts. He gave up just two runs in 12 1/3 innings over his final two starts.

Like Peralta, Gallen has enjoyed success against his Wednesday foe, as he is 3-3 with a 1.75 ERA in six career starts versus Milwaukee. He won both of his starts against the Brewers this season, allowing just one run in 14 innings.

“They’re going to come with everything they have, that’s for sure,” Lovullo said. “I feel much better than I would be feeling if we lost this game. I know that. But we beat their ace. They’re going to try to beat ours tomorrow. So, we’ll be ready to go.”

–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

Aaron Nola hasn’t earned a win since August, but a victory on Wednesday would send the Philadelphia Phillies to the National League Division Series.

The Phillies will look for a series sweep when they host the Miami Marlins in Game 2 of a wild-card series on Wednesday. Philadelphia took the opener of the best-of-three set 4-1 on Tuesday.

Nola finished 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA in the regular season, going 0-1 with a 5.47 ERA in his final five starts.

The right-hander had never competed in the playoffs until last season, when the Phillies advanced to the World Series and fell in six games to the Houston Astros. He 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in four postseason starts.

“A little bit easier since I kind of experienced it last year,” Nola said of preparing for his Wednesday outing. “I know what to expect a little bit more. But I’m just going to treat it like another game because it is another game. It’s just later on in the season, a certain amount of teams are in the postseason.

“Obviously, it’s a little bit bigger stakes than a game during the year, but it’s still another game. Still the same game. I’ve still got to go out and make my pitches.”

When Nola takes the mound, it will have been eight days since his last start. On Sept. 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he struck out eight while throwing 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

“I feel ready. My body feels healthy,” Nola said. “I feel like I got some good work in this week.”

The Marlins will attempt to bounce back behind Braxton Garrett, a four-year veteran who has never pitched in the playoffs. The left-hander went 9-7 with a 3.66 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) this year.

“Yeah, it’s awesome. This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid,” Garrett said. “It’s crazy being here, no doubt. I’ve just worked incredibly hard, and as I mentioned, I made that arm-slot change a couple years ago, and I feel like I really took off from there and kind of just built more and more confidence as each season went on.

“Yeah, of course it means a lot. I had one of my best years this year, and I plan to continue to refine and make everything better and keep getting better.”

With the Marlins in desperate need of a win to keep their season alive, Braxton won’t change his mindset.

“No matter what, I’m going to go in confident and pitch the best I can,” he said.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is confident that his players will be prepared for Game 2.

“I think they know what’s at stake. I think they know what tomorrow means,” Schumaker said after the Tuesday loss. “We’re going to do the same thing we’ve always done is go on game plan and try to beat Nola tomorrow. That’s what we have always done, and I don’t think that’s going to change tomorrow.”

The Phillies certainly don’t want anything to the different. In Game 1, Nick Castellanos doubled twice and knocked in a run, Trea Turner had two hits and two stolen bases, and Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Cristian Pache each had an RBI hit.

“It was just a good team win,” Turner said. “Roll in tomorrow and try to get it done.”

Every Philadelphia player in the starting lineup had at least one hit of the team’s 11 total hits.

“I was happy with the at-bats,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I think that, yeah, that will build some confidence going into tomorrow.”

–Field Level Media

Royce Lewis homered in each of his first two career postseason at-bats and the Minnesota Twins ended an 18-game playoff losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of their American League wild-card series in Minneapolis on Tuesday afternoon.

The streak was the longest postseason skid ever for a team in the four major North American sports leagues. Minnesota logged its first win in the postseason since Oct. 5, 2004, against the New York Yankees.

Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez (1-0) limited the Blue Jays to one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (0-1) labored through four innings before giving way to the bullpen. He allowed three runs on three hits and three walks, and he fanned five.

Lewis became only the third player in big-league history to homer in the first two playoff at-bats of his career. He joined Evan Longoria, who did so in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Rays, and Gary Gaetti, who accomplished the feat in 1987 with Minnesota.

Rangers 4, Rays 0

Jordan Montgomery tossed seven scoreless innings to lift Texas past Tampa in the opener of a AL wild-card series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Montgomery (1-0) scattered six hits and struck out five batters without issuing a walk. Corey Seager had an RBI single among his two hits and Evan Carter reached base four times (two hits, two walks) for the Rangers, who took advantage of a franchise playoff-record four errors by Tampa Bay.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow (0-1) gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits with five walks in five-plus innings. He struck out eight. Randy Arozarena had a double among his two hits for the Rays, are facing a second straight sweep in the wild-card round.

Phillies 4, Marlins 1

Zack Wheeler tossed 6 2/3 strong innings, Alec Bohm hit an RBI double and host Philadelphia defeated Miami in Game 1 of a National League wild-card series.

Bryson Stott and Cristian Pache each added an RBI single while Trea Turner had two hits and two stolen bases for the Phillies. Nick Castellanos also contributed two hits and an RBI.

Wheeler (1-0) gave up five hits and one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. Miami starter Jesus Luzardo (0-1) lasted four innings, allowing eight hits and three runs with five strikeouts and no walks.

Diamondbacks 6, Brewers 3

Arizona tagged Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes for three home runs in the first four innings and held off the host Brewers to win the opener of an NL wild-card series.

Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte hit back-to-back homers off Burnes (0-1) in the third inning as the Diamondbacks erased a 3-0 deficit. Gabriel Moreno put Arizona in front 4-3 with a leadoff homer in the fourth, a 425-foot shot to left-center.

Six Arizona relievers preserved the victory by combining for 6 1/3 scoreless innings after rookie Brandon Pfaadt allowed three runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. Joe Mantiply (1-0), the first pitcher out of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen, got the win, and Paul Sewald handled the ninth for the save.

–Field Level Media

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins finally snapped their 18-game playoff drought.

Now, the Twins will try to take it one step further and win their first postseason series in over two decades.

Minnesota will face the visiting Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of a best-of-three American League wild-card series on Wednesday afternoon. The Twins are coming off a 3-1 win in the series opener that was fueled by two home runs from Royce Lewis.

“I think it’s fine to celebrate that,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said when asked about snapping the postseason skid. “I (also) think there’s not one person in our clubhouse who doesn’t realize that there is a lot of work still to be done.”

Meanwhile, Toronto must win to extend the series to a decisive third game.

“It’s all hands on deck (Wednesday),” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “These guys know it’s going to take everybody to get to Game 3.”

The Twins hope it doesn’t come to that. They are looking for their first playoff series win since 2002, when they beat the Oakland Athletics in five games in the AL Division Series.

Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios will take the mound in Game 2. He went 11-12 with a 3.65 ERA in 32 starts this season, and he struck out 184 in 189 2/3 innings.

Berrios, 29, is no stranger to Target Field. He spent parts of his first six seasons with the Twins and made three postseason appearances (two starts), going 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA.

“I’m going to enjoy it,” Berrios said. “I’ve got my family here. I’ve got my little one, Diego, he was born in Minnesota. It’s going to be special also pitching against old friends, old teammates. …

“I love pitching in this ballpark because the dugout is so close, so I look like I throw 100.”

This will be Berrios’ sixth start against his former team. In his first five outings against Minnesota, he has gone 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA.

Twins right-hander Sonny Gray will oppose Berrios in the second game of the series. Gray went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts during the regular season, and he struck out 183 in 184 innings.

The 33-year-old Gray finished strong down the stretch, posting a 1.54 ERA in his final seven starts of the regular season. He walked five and struck out 36 in 41 innings.

Gray is 4-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) against the Blue Jays. He is 0-2 with a 2.95 ERA in four career playoff starts with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees.

This will be Gray’s first playoff start since 2017.

“I was very fortunate early in my career,” Gray said. “I got to pitch in the playoffs. I got to taste that. …

“And then having a couple losing seasons and now having a chance to pitch in the playoffs (is so rewarding). I said this a couple of years ago, said it a couple of days ago, and I still truly believe it. It is truly, truly, truly the only reason that I am still playing this game.”

–Tom Musick, Field Level Media