Wheeler, Harper lead Phillies to two wins for the price of one originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
MILWAUKEE — There are few better feelings for a manager in need of a win than writing his ace’s name on the lineup card, and there has been no ace in baseball over the last five seasons who has been as consistent or as dominant as Zack Wheeler.
Start after start, month after month, year after year, Wheeler has been there when the Phillies have needed him. Sometimes it’s been to stop a skid. Sometimes it’s been to extend a winning streak. Sometimes it’s been to set the tone for a series. Sometimes it’s been to win a series.
“He’s the Cy Young, man,” Bryce Harper said Tuesday night. “I don’t think there’s anybody better in baseball right now than him. People in Atlanta probably feel the same way about the guy pitching there. I think he got robbed of it three years ago and I think he earned it this year.”
Wheeler led the Phillies to a 5-1 victory on Tuesday, a stunning result because it was effectively two wins for the price of one, extending their lead over the Brewers to five games — four plus the tiebreaker.
The win gave the Phillies the season series against Milwaukee. They are 91-60 and lead the Brewers by five games with 11 to play, putting the Phils in an extremely good position to earn at least a top-two seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
The Phils also won a game over the Dodgers, who surprisingly lost a slugfest in Miami. They lead the Dodgers by three games for the top overall playoff seed — two plus the tiebreaker.
Harper made Wheeler the winner with an opposite-field, two-run homer off Frankie Montas in the sixth inning of a tie game. It was Harper’s third in four games and 29th of the season.
“He’s hitting well,” Wheeler said. “The home runs weren’t there, but he doesn’t have to hit home runs all the time. As long as he’s hitting and having good at-bats, the home runs will come. I told him probably a week ago, just keep swinging and keep doing your thing, the home runs will come.”
Nick Castellanos got the Phils on the board early with a first-pitch, leadoff homer to center in the top of the second, his 21st of the year. It was a welcome sign for a player who had hit .178 in his last 13 games and .114 in September against starting pitchers.
The Brewers were held in check by Wheeler for most of the night. He threw seven innings with one run differenceworked ahead, missed bats, threw his four-seamer just above the zone for strikes and whiffs, froze hitters with two-seamers, caused weak contact … did all the things he normally does.
It’s mid-September and Wheeler is still hitting 97 mph near the end of the victory.
“He probably used his fastball more than any other starter this year,” manager Rob Thomson said. “They just saw the liveliness of it, it went up and down. They stuck with it and it was really effective. Just a great effort.”
The only inning Milwaukee threatened came in the bottom of the fourth, when William Contreras singled and Garrett Mitchell tripled him with one out. Wheeler retired the next batter, Willy Adames, on three pitches and ended the inning with a flyout to right field.
Wheeler is 16-6 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 30 starts. He has allowed the fewest hits and baserunners in the National League. He has 205 strikeouts and 49 walks in 186â…” innings. This was his best regular season as a Phillie.
He’s still likely today’s Cy Young runner-up behind Chris Sale, who is 17-3 with a 2.35 ERA and 219 strikeouts, and leads the NL in every category. But if Sale gets hit once or twice in his last two starts and Wheeler gives the Phillies two more like that, the numbers and the race will even up.
“He’s something, man,” Thomson said. “He’s been so consistent since he’s been here. He’s earned every penny he’s earned. He’s so important to this club. He just gets the ball and can abuse people when he wants to.”
In addition to Wheeler on the mound, Thomson also knew he was working with a rested bullpen. Matt Strahm hadn’t pitched since last Wednesday, Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman since Saturday, and Orion Kerkering since Sunday. They’re the Phillies’ top four relievers, all with ERAs between 1.76 and 2.03.
Wheeler handed the ball to the bullpen with a three-run lead after Kyle Schwarber added seventh-inning insurance by driving in the returning Edmundo Sosa. Trea Turner drove in another in the ninth with a two-out single after Johan Rojas walked and stole second.
The Phillies are 9-2 this season against the Dodgers and Brewers, the teams with the second- and third-best records. They are 23-10 against the other five teams currently in NL playoff position, with the Padres having the next-best record at 20-20.
“I think when you’re done with the season, it’s over. You’ve got to move on. The postseason is a different animal,” Harper said. “It’s different. It gets me excited. I think every guy in this locker room has the same attitude. I know as a team we just want to be healthy and try to do the job that we can.”
Wednesday night offers Aaron Nola a chance to win the series and find a rhythm for the playoffs after allowing 11 runs in his last nine innings.
“We definitely needed a win here,” Thomson said. “Try to win the series tomorrow. Just getting the tiebreaker against these guys will be huge in the final stages.”
