Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Zack Wheeler’s dominance is enough as Phillies beat Pirates

Zack Wheeler pitched well tonight. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 2, Pirates 1

With the Aug. 1 trade deadline only a few days away, tonight’s Phillies-Pirates game featured two teams that have different plans for their rosters moving forward. After a hot start to 2023, the Pirates are sellers with eyes set on the future. Meanwhile, the Phillies are buyers with eyes set on returning to the World Series later this year.

And while Philadelphia’s front office is looking at a number of different players to potentially acquire, it is possible the best way for the Phillies to become a better team for the next two-plus months is to get better results from the players, especially the veterans, that are already on their roster.

The Phillies lineup hasn’t produced much over their last three series and their top-two pitchers, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, haven’t been as good this year as they were in 2022.

If the offense, along with Wheeler and Nola, can all get hot at the same time, the Phillies could be a dangerous team to face in the coming weeks and months.

Wheeler, whose four-seam fastball topped out at 97.5 mph, was on the mound for the Phillies tonight and looked very sharp with command of his entire arsenal. Unfortunately, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, a rain delay cut the veteran right-hander’s start short.

Either way, outside of a shaky fourth inning, Wheeler dominated Pittsburgh’s lineup as he struck out 11 hitters while allowing just one run on three hits.

The lone run Wheeler gave up came in the fourth on a Ji-Man Choi double. Bryan Reynolds easily scored from second base on the play. And while it seemed like Andrew McCutchen could’ve done the same from first to tie the game, the veteran halted at third base. Wheeler would go on to get out of the inning with the score still 2-1.

The one-time All-Star didn’t do it all himself, though, as he got some defensive help from Trea Turner, who went 0-for-5 at the plate, to end the fifth inning:

In three starts following the All-Star break, Wheeler has a 2.18 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings — an encouraging development.

As Wheeler kept the Pirates offense at bay, Philadelphia’s offense did not provide him with much run support. They put together six hits through their first four innings at the plate, but did not record another knock until the ninth inning. They also left the bases loaded in the fourth and ninth innings.

Kyle Schwarber, who went 2-for-2 with three walks, drove in the club’s only two runs in the third inning with his 27th home run of the year:

Altogether, the veterans in the Phillies lineup — Schwarber, Turner, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto — continued to collectively struggle going a combined 3-for-19.

After Gregory Soto got the Phillies out of a jam in the eighth inning, Craig Kimbrel delivered a quick 12-pitch ninth inning to earn his 17th save of the season.

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