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Wheeler Deals as Phillies Go Fishing

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Phillies
By Ben Silver | Last updated 8/10/22

The Philadelphia Phillies are winning boring games again, and that's a good thing.

It's been a decade since the Phillies have won so many games in such convincing fashion. Never was Philadelphia’s victory in jeopardy, not with Zack Wheeler having an off-night nor with Bryce Harper out of the lineup.

The Phillies are still an offensive powerhouse even without their MVP as displayed by their fourth inning home run explosion. But to get to that point, Wheeler still had to hold the Miami Marlins’ bats silent.

The Phillies had taken an early first inning lead when Alec Bohm's lazy pop fly to right field was botched by second baseman Joey Wendle venturing into the outfield and interfering with Bryan De La Cruz.

With Bohm on second, the hottest catcher in baseball, J.T. Realmuto, lined a double down the left field line giving the Phillies an early first inning cushion.

Philadelphia has outscored opponents 11-0 in the first inning since Friday.

Despite the lead the Phillies had given their starter, Wheeler had trouble throwing strikes. In the second inning he had worked three-ball counts to the Marlins' five through eight hole hitters.

The heat and humidity may have affected Wheeler's command. In the fourth inning he surrendered a home run to rookie JJ Bleday, knotting the game at one a piece.

But finally, as it has for the last two weeks, the Phillies pulled away convincingly.

Realmuto lead off the fourth inning with a home run that brought down rain deep into the seats in left field. That shot helped raise his OPS to .794 for an OPS+ of 121, significantly higher than his second best full season OPS+ in Philadelphia of 110.

Jean Segura followed him with a solo home run of his own, his first since returning from a two month trip to the injured list.

Where Realmuto's home run was a towering majestic blast, Segura's was a missile that may have set off radar detection software down at the Navy Yard.

With the Phillies now in control, Wheeler finally began cruising. Despite a higher pitch count than he may have been accustomed to, he dazzled Marlins hitters through six frames, striking out eight hitters and decreasing his ERA to 2.63.

Meanwhile, the Phillies had tacked on another run in the fifth. This time the man of the hour was Kyle Schwarber who had his third exited velocity of 110 mph or more on the night.

His 111.7 mph double to center field allowed Alec Bohm to drive him in two batters later, increasing the Phillies lead to three and setting the score at 4-1, there it would stay for the rest of the night.

The Phillies relievers pitched as they have been for the past several months dominant.

José Alvarado, in typical fashion, struck out two batters and walked one for a clean inning. David Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 inning in eighth, striking out one in his first appearance pitching for the home team at Citizens Bank Park since 2019.

Finally Seranthony Domínguez picked up the save in the ninth on just five pitches. An error from Rhys Hoskins started the inning, but it was erased on the very next pitch by a double play off the bat of Jacob Stalling.

Peyton Burdick struck out on three pitches and the ballgame was over. The Phillies moved 12 games above .500 for the first time since 2018 and still sit comfortably in the National League's second wild card.

Noah Syndergaard takes the mound Wednesday facing NL Cy Young leader Sandy Alcantara and his formidable 1.88 ERA.