The Opener: Wheeler, Rodon, Rays

The Twins set an American League record on Tuesday when reliever Jeff Hoffman finished off a victory over the Giants. Hoffman became the 15th Twin to earn a save this season (h/t Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com). 1. Wheeler notches 2,000th strikeout Phillies righty Zack Wheeler entered Tuesday’s start with 1,997 career strikeouts. He didn’t waste any time getting to 2K. The veteran struck out the side in the first inning to hit the milestone. He wasn’t done there, punching out the side in the second inning and the first batter of the third frame. Wheeler finished with 11 strikeouts in the outing. After a rocky stretch in August, he’s righted the ship. Wheeler has allowed six earned runs over his last five starts. He has 34 strikeouts to six walks in September. 2. Rodon reaches 100 wins Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon cruised through eight innings in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Rays. He struck out eight and permitted just three baserunners. Rodon matched his longest outing as a Yankee. The performance earned him the 100th win of his career. It took a bit for the workload to ramp up, but Rodon has been excellent since coming off the IL. He’s posted a sub-2.00 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning across seven appearances. 3. Rays lock up AL East Rodon delayed Tampa Bay’s celebration in Game 1, but the Rays took care of business in Game 2. The AL East champs wrapped up the division title behind a brilliant start from Drew Rasmussen. The righty carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He finished with 11 strikeouts, his third game this season with double-digit Ks. Rasmussen has a 1.05 ERA through four September outings. He’ll likely serve as Tampa Bay’s Game 1 starter in the ALDS. Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images View Comments (7)