Zack Wheeler’s brilliant stretch continues in win over Padres
SAN DIEGO — Zack Wheeler’s brilliant second half continued in Wednesday’s 5-1 series-clinching win over the Padres.
In his last 10 starts, Wheeler has completed at least six innings in all of them and has allowed three runs or fewer in all but one outing.
Wednesday’s start, his second of the season against San Diego, was one of his best. He was perfect until he allowed a walk to Juan Soto in the bottom of the fourth with two out. The no-hitter was broken up a batter later when Manny Machado hit a 70.3 mph blooper to right field that fell between Bryson Stott, Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh.
It was the only hit Wheeler allowed. He threw six innings and struck out seven to earn his 11th win of the season. His ERA is now at 3.49. His post All-Star break ERA is at 2.60.
“When we’ve needed him the most to come up in a big moment against a really good offense, he seems to have his best games in those situations,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “What he did for us today, it can’t be understated how important it is.”
The fastball was practically all he needed to mow down the dangerous Padres lineup. He threw 52 four seamers and 30 sinkers. Sixteen of his nineteen swing-and-misses on the day came on fastballs.
Wheeler attributed his recent stretch of strong starts following a first-inning clunker against the Nationals in the Little League Classic to a mechanical adjustment he made before that outing, a smaller side step to help improve his balance.
“I think everything is kind of clicking with what we just talked about mechanically and when that happens, it kind of just unlocks the arm,” Wheeler said after the game. “[Velocity] ticks up a little more, balls coming out true, spinning right. I’m not working to throw hard, it’s just kind of coming out.”
He would not have had a chance to finish off a no-hitter as his pitch count was at 105 after six innings.
Wheeler, for a second straight start, began his day with a lead.
Kyle Schwarber set the tone with a 465-foot shot to straight away center to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Nothing will compare to the 488-foot second deck home run he hit in Game 1 of the NLCS, but he seems to have a knack for hitting long home runs in San Diego.
The hit was Schwarber’s 10th leadoff home run of the year, which is a new Phillies franchise record for most leadoff home runs in a season. Jimmy Rollins held the previous record with nine in 2007.
The next three batters reached base safely, but they were all stranded after Bryson Stott flew out to right field and Realmuto and Marsh struck out.
The Phillies stranded three runners over the next two innings, but finally came through in the fourth. Bryce Harper doubled to right center field to score Edmundo Sosa and Schwarber to make it 3-0. It was Harper’s first base knock since he hit his 300th home run against the Angels on Aug. 30. It broke an 0-for-21 for Harper, which is his longest streak of at-bats without a hit in his career.
Realmuto hit his 18th home run of the season in the fifth to make it 4-0. Jake Cave added another run on a single that drove in Marsh from second.
The Phillies bullpen maintained the one-hitter until the bottom of the ninth inning when Xander Bogaerts doubled with two out in the ninth against Matt Strahm. The next batter Garrett Cooper singled to put the Padres on the board.
Seranthony Domínguez pitched a clean 1-2-3 seventh inning. Jeff Hoffman did not have his command at the beginning of the eighth inning, but he eventually found it while facing the top of the Padres order.
“[Wheeler] had one hit, but if you keep that lineup to three hits in a game, you’re doing some pitching,” Rob Thomson said after the game.
The Phillies (77-62) have won four straight regular season series at Petco Park dating back to 2019. They maintain a 1.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the first Wild Card spot in the National League.
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