Phillies 1, Astros 0
Roy Halladay tossed his eighth complete game of the season to make Placido Polanco's first-inning RBI single stand up as the Philadelphia Phillies became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with a 1-0 road triumph over the Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon.
With the victory, the Phillies reduced their magic number for clinching their fifth consecutive National League East title to four. The second-place Atlanta Braves recorded a 4-1 victory over the Florida Marlins on Wednesday afternoon.
Halladay (18-5) completed his 66th career complete game by scattering six hits and striking out seven for Philadelphia, which avoided matching a season-high four-game losing skid.
Shane Victorino doubled to lead off the contest and Polanco promptly drove him in with a single to center field. The Phillies mustered just two hits the rest of the way.
Philadelphia could have also gained entry into the playoffs with a loss by St. Louis, but the Cardinals posted a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier Wednesday.
Rookie Jimmy Paredes had two of the six hits for Houston (51-98), which set a franchise mark for losses in a season. The Astros had accumulated 97 losses in the 1965, 1975 and 1991 campaigns.
Bud Norris (6-10) suffered his third straight loss despite permitting just one run on four hits over seven innings.