Phillies calmly clinch playoff

No champagne. No wild celebration. The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the postseason for the fifth straight year, and that’s exactly what they expected.

Roy Halladay pitched his 20th career shutout and Philadelphia became the first team to reach the playoffs this season with a 1-0 victory over the host Houston Astros on Wednesday.

The N.L. East leaders clinched at least a wild-card berth and will take another run at a ring in October. Philadelphia won the World Series in 2008 and took the N.L. pennant in 2009.

“That’s the beauty of being here,” Halladay said. “We expect to win. You convert to that quickly, coming from a team where that wasn’t the case. We had some big wins last year and come into the clubhouse and that’s where we expected to be.”

Once the Phillies signed ace pitcher Cliff Lee last winter to round out a dominant rotation, another playoff berth seemed inevitable. They said this week there would be no big party for wrapping up the wild card, and when Halladay finished off Houston he and his teammates barely cracked a smile.

Marlins land opener for next season

The renamed Miami Marlins will start next season in their new ballpark a day ahead of the rest of the major leagues, playing the St. Louis Cardinals on April 4.

Major League Baseball announced that next season’s schedule will open in midweek for the second straight year.

Known as the Florida Marlins since starting play in 1993, the team will be renamed Nov. 11 as it prepares to move into a $515 million, retractable-roof ballpark on the site that used to be the Orange Bowl. The game against the Cardinals is likely to be televised by ESPN.

MLB suspends Rockies catcher Alfonzo

Colorado Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo become the first player suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs under the Major League Baseball testing program when the commissioner’s office announced a 100-game penalty.

Alfonzo, a 32-year-old backup in his sixth big league season, was suspended for 50 games in April 2008 while a member of the San Francisco Giants.

“I am surprised by this positive test,” he said in a statement released by the Major League Baseball Players Association. “I learned my lesson in 2008 and have not taken any prohibited substances since then. With the union’s help, I intend to fight this suspension and look forward to appearing before the arbitrator in the near future.”