Gunnar Henderson hit his eighth leadoff home run of the season, and three more Orioles went deep off Zack Wheeler to help Baltimore beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Sunday.
The pitching matchup between Wheeler (8-4) and Corbin Burnes (8-2) didn’t live up to expectations, but it was still an eventful series finale in front of a third straight sellout crowd at Camden Yards. Phillies manager Rob Thomson was ejected in the top of the sixth inning, and soon after, play was stopped several times for a few seconds due to loud airplane flyovers related to Baltimore’s Fleet Week celebration.
The Orioles fell within two games of the AL East-leading New York Yankees, who played in Boston later Sunday. The Yankees host a three-game series against Baltimore on Tuesday evening.
Wheeler had never allowed more than three home runs in a game, but the Orioles hit one in four of his five innings on the mound. In the bottom of the first inning, Henderson broke a tie with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber — who went deep to start Friday night’s game — for the major league lead in leadoff home runs. Then Colton Cowser hit a 400-foot shot with a man on it in the second to make it 3-0.
Adley Rutschman added a solo homer in the third, and after the Phillies scored twice in the fifth to make it 4-2, Jordan Westburg’s three-run shot capped a four-run rally for Baltimore in the bottom half of the collection.
Two errors in the Baltimore infield allowed the Phillies to load the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Yennier Cano came on and struck out Edmundo Sosa for his third save.
Wheeler lasted just 4 1/3 innings and tied a career-high with eight earned runs allowed. He hadn’t allowed that much since 2018.
Burnes, who defeated Wheeler in a tight race for the 2021 National League Cy Young Award, faced heavy traffic but got through six innings for his 10th straight quality start. That’s the longest active streak in the majors.
Philadelphia’s Garrett Stubbs bunted in the sixth, and when Burnes’ pitch bounced near the batter’s foot, Stubbs went to first base. The umpires conferred and allowed Stubbs to return to continue his at-bat. Thomson was then ejected during an animated exchange with plate umpire Mike Estabrook.
The ballpark had a good view of the Fleet Week air shows all weekend, but there was a brief period when the planes were particularly loud and the players on the field stopped for a few seconds at a time.
Phillies: Thomson said before the game that Philadelphia star SS Trea Turner is expected back Monday after a hamstring injury.
Orioles: RHP Dean Kremer (triceps) threw 3 2/3 innings in a rehab start Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk.
Phillies: Christopher Sánchez (3-3) from Philadelphia starts Monday evening at home against Randy Vásquez from San Diego (1-3).
Orioles: Burnes’ start Sunday means the Yankees won’t have to face him in the next series. Albert Suárez (3-0) takes the mound for Baltimore on Tuesday evening against Nestor Cortes (3-5).
