In spot duty, Wilson leads Atlanta to playoffs

Pressed into starting duty by an injury-ravaged rotation, Bryse Wilson stepped up and pitched his team to the postseason.

Atlanta’s No. 5 prospect dealt five scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing just three hits and one walk as the Braves clinched their third straight National League East title with an 11-1 rout of the Marlins on Tuesday night at Truist Park.

#Braves No. 5 prospect @BryseWilson went deep-sea fishing in Atlanta and hooked a few Marlins.pic.twitter.com/oS0Y9Z7lDt

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 23, 2020

“It was incredible,” Wilson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the game. “Over the course of the season, everything that’s been going on as far as me struggling at first, putting in the work at the alternate site. I never imagined I would start the game that we clinched, so it’s been incredible.”

After only pitching in relief this season and having not appeared in any big league games since Sept. 14, the right-hander got the ball when scheduled starter Cole Hamels was scratched with left shoulder fatigue. Wilson was promptly called up from the alternate training site for the start.

He responded with an efficient outing. All three hits Wilson allowed were singles in the first three innings; Corey Dickerson led off with a knock to left field to lead off the first frame, Jesus Aguilar went to right with one out in the second and Dickerson again to right with one gone in the third. None of those runners advanced past first base. The 22-year-old followed Dickerson’s first hit by retiring four straight, three via strikeouts. After Aguilar’s, he set down three more with one K, and following Dickerson’s second single, he dispatched eight of the final nine batters, three more by punchouts.

Wilson finished the night having thrown 77 pitches, 50 for strikes.

The start was his longest outing since last Aug. 27 with Triple-A Gwinnett, when he went seven innings in a victory over New Orleans. It was his longest start in the Majors since going six frames in a victory over the Phillies last July 3.

Atlanta’s division title gave the franchise 20 in its history, more than any other team in baseball.

In other action:

Indians 5, White Sox 3

Baseball’s No. 37 overall prospect Nick Madrigal went singled and scored a run in four at-bats in Chicago’s loss. In 25 games, Madrigal is batting .348/.383/.382 and in the midst of a six-game hitting streak. Chicago’s 2020 first round Draft selection and No. 4 prospect Garrett Crochet continued his strong debut season with a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. Of the flamethrower’s 19 pitches, 18 were fastballs and 11 exceeded 100 mph. He struck out one. Box score

Red Sox 8, Orioles 3

Third-ranked Boston prospect Bobby Dalbec produced his second straight multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. He ripped an RBI double off Baltimore's No. 15 prospect Keegan Akin in the second and came home on an error by left fielder DJ Stewart. In the third, Dalbec singled to center against the left-hander to plate Xander Bogaerts and give Boston a 4-1 cushion. Akin fell to 1-2 after allowing four runs -- two earned -- on eight hits while striking out six over four innings. O's No. 5 prospect Ryan Mountcastle went 0-for-5. Box score

Yankees 12, Blue Jays 1

A night after becoming the youngest catcher in 16 years to post a four-hit game, Toronto’s No. 6 prospect Alejandro Kirk added another knock to his rookie season tally. Kirk singled in the sixth and is batting .412 through seven games in the Majors. Box score

Pirates 3, Cubs 2

Pittsburgh’s second-ranked prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes singled and walked. Hayes hasn't hit safely in just four of his 19 games this season and has reached base multiple times in five of his last six. In his first big league start, No. 10 Pirates prospect Jared Oliva went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Box score

Astros 6, Mariners 1

Ljay Newsome, Seattle's No. 29 prospect, bounced back from his worst big league start by limiting Houston to a run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out one and did not issue a walk in lowering his ERA to 5.17. For the Astros, No. 12 prospect Enoli Paredes pitched a scoreless eighth. Box score

Nationals 5, Phillies 1 (1st game)

No. 97 overall prospect Luis Garcia capped a four-run third with an RBI single, helping Washington take the doubleheader opener. He went 1-for-3, has hit safely in four of his last five games and bumped his average to .307. Philadelphia's No. 12 prospect Mickey Moniak struck out in both of his plate appearances. Box score

Nationals 8, Phillies 7 (2nd game, 8 innings)

Top Nats prospect Luis Garcia went 0-for-4 but started extra innings as the designated runner and scored on Yadiel Hernandez's walk-off homer. No. 14 Phillies prospect JoJo Romero surrendered three runs on three hits and two walks while recording two outs in the third. His ERA has jumped from 2.89 to 7.84 in his last two appearances. Box score

Brewers 3, Reds 2

Tejay Antone, Cincinnati's No. 23 prospect, took the loss after two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in two innings out of the bullpen. Sixth-ranked Jose Garcia came on as a defensive replacement in the eighth and struck out to end the game in his only plate appearance. Box score

Cardinals 5, Royals 0

St. Louis' top prospect Dylan Carlson posted his best game as a big leaguer, going 3-for-4 with a triple and a double, driving in a pair of runs and scoring two more. Heading into the night, Carlson had three hits total in his previous eight big league games dating back to Aug. 31. Box score

Twins 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings)

Seventh-ranked Detroit prospect Daz Cameron doubled twice, his first game with multiple extra-base hits in 12 outings as a big leaguer. Isaac Paredes, the Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, singled once in four trips to the plate. Fifth-ranked Tarik Skubal got the start and allowed two runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking a pair. Minnesota’s No. 6 prospect Ryan Jeffers went 0-for-3 with a walk. Box score

D-backs 7, Rangers 0

Out of the leadoff spot, Arizona’s No. 3 prospect Daulton Varsho singled, walked and scored a run. First baseman Pavin Smith, the D-backs’ No. 28 prospect, went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Texas’ second-ranked prospect Sam Huff singled twice while No. 3 Leody Taveras was 0-for-2 with a walk. Box score

Giants 5, Rockies 2

Top San Francisco prospect Joey Bart posted his first multi-hit game in nearly two weeks. He doubled twice, drove in a run and scored once. The performance marked Bart's first game with multiple extra-base hits in his 27-game big league career. San Francisco's No. 18 prospect Luis Alexander Basabe went 0-for-1 before exiting the game in the fourth. Box score