Rookie Mick Abel pitched six scoreless innings against his former team, lifting the Minnesota Twins to a 5-0 road victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

A 24-year-old right-hander, Abel (3-4) was a key piece of the July trade that sent star closer Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia. He has mostly struggled since joining Minnesota but authored the best outing of his Twins tenure in this one, allowing three hits -- all singles -- and a walk while striking out nine.

Abel's splendid effort cemented Philadelphia (95-66) as the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs. The Phillies, champions of the NL East, will face the winner of the wild-card series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and either the New York Mets or Cincinnati Reds.

Philadelphia starter Ranger Suarez (12-8) was hit har

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