Positioned to start Game 1 in October, Zack Wheeler continues dominant stretch as Phillies beat Brewers

Final Score: Phillies 5, Brewers 1

With the way some of their starting pitchers have performed recently, there’s been some talk about how the Phillies will organize their rotation come October. They haven’t officially clinched anything yet, but it’s getting closer to happening. Their win on Tuesday, coupled with a Braves loss, lowered their magic number to clinch a postseason berth to one. The club’s magic number to win the NL East is down to four. Tuesday’s victory also gave them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Brewers, inching them closer to securing a first-round bye.

Getting back to the playoff rotation, some people have wondered who would start a potential Game 2 of a postseason series for the Phillies. There is no question about who will start Game 1. It’ll be Zack Wheeler.

Toeing the rubber for the 30th time in 2024, Wheeler continued to add to his impressive resume on Tuesday night. For the 23rd time this season, he pitched at least six innings and allowed less than two runs — he pitched seven innings of one-run ball. It’s the ninth consecutive start Wheeler has gone six frames and not allowed more than a pair of runs. The streak dates back to his first start in August.

Over his last nine outings, Wheeler has furthered his case as a legitimate NL Cy Young contender. The right-hander has pitched 58 innings since the start of August. He’s allowed 11 earned runs in that workload, striking out 66 batters and walking nine. He’s been pretty much untouchable of late. On the year, he’s tossed 186 2/3 innings to the tune of a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 205 strikeouts.

Whether or not Wheeler wins the NL Cy Young is something we won’t know for a while. His case is strong. Chris Sale of the Braves is having a remarkable season and feels like the favorite for the award right now. Without a doubt, though, Wheeler will take the mound in Game 1 for the Phillies in October. And he looks ready to do so.

Highlights

• Nick Castellanos put the Phillies on the board first with a leadoff home run in the top of the second.

• Here’s Wheeler striking out Rhys Hoskins to end the bottom of the second. Wheeler struck out six batters on Tuesday.

• After Trea Turner was called out trying to steal second base in the top of the third, Rob Thomson challenged the call. Upon review, the ruling on the field stood.

• The Brewers tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI triple by Garrett Mitchell.
• The Phillies retook the lead in the top of the sixth thanks to a two-run home run by Bryce Harper. It was Harper’s third home run in his last four games.

• Kyle Schwarber drove in a run in a funky way in the seventh. Schwarber hit a ball back to pitcher Aaron Ashby, and the ball hit off Ashby’s foot and trickled into shallow right field. Edmundo Sosa scored from second on the play, giving the Phillies a 4-1 lead.

• An RBI single by Turner in the ninth extended the Phillies’ lead to 5-1.

Notes

• With the Dodgers losing to the Marlins, the Phillies’ lead over LA for the top seed in the NL, along with the best record in baseball, is now two games in the standings. Since the Phillies own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dodgers, it’s effectively a three-game lead.
• The Phillies have now won 34 straight games in which their starting pitcher has gone at least seven innings.
• Before Tuesday’s game, the Phillies activated Edmundo Sosa from the injured list and optioned Buddy Kennedy to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Wednesday, Sept. 18 vs. Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field
• 7:40 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia and MLB Network (out-of-market only)
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
• Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680

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