Categories: 2024 Postgame Recaps

Zack Wheeler brings no-hitter into eighth inning, finally gets run support in Phillies’ fifth straight win

Zack Wheeler pitched 7 1/3-shutout innings on Saturday. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 9, White Sox 5

On Friday, Spencer Turnbull pitched 6 1/3 innings until giving up a hit in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. 24 hours later, Zack Wheeler was even better. The veteran right-hander started his night by tossing seven no-hit innings on 101 pitches. Everyone was officially on alert.

Nobody moved in the Phillies’ bullpen during the bottom of the seventh. Wheeler, at the very least, was going to begin the eighth inning.

Wheeler’s night started with a walk of the first batter he faced. He then retired 13 consecutive batters until hitting Paul DeJong with a pitch with one out in the fifth inning. The right-hander quickly got back to work, getting Dominic Fletcher to strike out and Korey Lee to pop out to end the frame.

After five innings, Wheeler had five strikeouts, one walk and one hit batter. He recorded two more punch outs in the sixth while working a 1-2-3 inning. The seventh inning was a bit longer. Wheeler threw 20 pitches while walking one batter and striking out another.

With Seranthony Domínguez now warming up, Wheeler started the eighth by getting Fletcher to line out to Trea Turner at shortstop, bringing Lee back to the plate. The White Sox backstop swung at the first pitch he saw — a 94 mph sinker on the inside part of the plate — and made contact. The ball was grounded toward Bryce Harper at first base. Harper was playing off the line a bit and dove for the ball — it just got by Harper’s glove, putting an end to Wheeler’s no-hit bid. The right-hander was then pulled from the game. He left the field to a standing ovation.

Wheeler’s 7 1/3 innings of no-hit ball tied a career high. Altogether, he struck out eight batters, walked two and hit another on 106 pitches. His efforts lowered his ERA on the season to 2.30 through five starts. Wheeler also picked up his first win of the year. He was the only Phillies starting pitcher without a win entering Saturday.

Not only had Wheeler not recorded a win through his first four starts, but he didn’t receive much run support, either. In Wheeler’s first four starts, the Phillies scored six runs combined. Tonight, they gave their ace plenty of support as they scored nine runs on 12 hits.

There were a few guys who had good nights at the plate, but the performance that stood out the most was that of Nick Castellanos, who has been in a major slump to start the season.

Castellanos came into Saturday without an extra-base hit. He was batting .153/.218/.153. Phillies manager Rob Thomson has faith in his right fielder, though. Before Saturday’s game, Thomson said he thought Castellanos was close to breaking out. He mentioned how the two-time All-Star has been “lofting some balls” recently. That’s a good sign, according to Thomson, who might have been onto something.

Castellanos made four plate appearances on Saturday. He reached base in all four. He recorded his first extra-base hit of the year in his first trip to the plate. The ball, hit to right field, just missed getting out of the yard for a homer. Castellanos settled for a triple, instead. He added a single in the fourth inning and drove in a pair of runs in the fifth with another single. He walked in his final plate appearance.

While one game isn’t close to being a breakout, Castellanos continued to hit the ball well tonight — he hit two balls deep into the outfield on Friday. His triple was hit in the air and both of his singles were line drives. Adding a walk to his line was another positive sign. Chasing pitches outside of the zone has been a weakness for Castellanos while with the Phillies. Getting him going would certainly help the Phillies offense, which has started to turn a corner over the last week or so.

Notes:

Brandon Marsh started the Phillies scoring with a second-inning, two-run home run. It was his fifth home run of the year. He didn’t hit his fifth home run of the year last season until May 28.

Johan Rojas picked up three singles, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored on Saturday. His batting line is now up to .245/.315/.286.
Trea Turner doubled in the seventh inning, extending his extra-base-hit streak to seven games.

Ricardo Pinto started but didn’t finish the ninth inning. The White Sox tagged him for five hits and five runs. José Alvarado entered the inning with two outs and got Andrew Benintendi to ground out on his first pitch to end the game.

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