Zack Wheeler allowed a single and home run to Ronald Acuña Jr. and struck him out in his last at-bat. (Logan Gehman/Phillies Nation)

PHILADELPHIA — As Ronald Acuña Jr. rounded second, he paused. With third base many many feet away, Acuña swayed his feet back and forth. As Acuña danced in the middle of the diamond, the Citizens Bank Park crowd serenaded him with angry boos.

He did whatever he wanted after absolutely crushing a pitch to the second deck in left field in his second at-bat against Zack Wheeler. Wheeler and the Phillies, however, won where it counted in a 4-2 victory on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. Atlanta (84-58) still has a four-game lead over Philadelphia (80-62) in the race for the NL East.

Wheeler and Acuña met again for the third time on Saturday in the fifth inning. Already with a single and home run against Wheeler, the crowd was determined to see Wheeler get him out. On 0-1, Wheeler brushed him in high and tight. Acuña dropped the bat, and Wheeler’s catcher J.T. Realmuto picked it up. After getting a touch of the bat on two 3-2 pitches fouled off, Acuña was finally set down on strikes for the final out. The crowd erupted as Wheeler and Acuña gave a quick glance at each before heading back to their respective dugouts.

“I really wanted to strike him out right there,” Wheeler said. “Kind of get him back, so to speak.”

Wheeler, even after injury, is still the biggest star on the mound for the Phillies. Acuña, even after injury, is still the biggest star at the plate for the Braves. The two competitors have embraced the rivalry over the years. Wheeler vs. Acuña with the division at stake in September isn’t quite high on the list of big moments between the Phillies and Braves since they met in the postseason in 2022, but the intensity of it all was fun in the moment.

“You feed off of it,” Wheeler said. “I knew going into the at-bat that it was going to be a big at-bat. The crowd definitely helped me out.”

Wheeler, never afraid to hold back his thoughts when they are warranted, had some thoughts about Acuña’s longer-than-usual home run trot.

“It doesn’t really bother me all that much,” Wheeler quipped. “Do whatever he wants. He hit a home run. It’s up to him to do what he wants. Our guy just rounds the bases that hits 50 a year.”

Wheeler was referencing Kyle Schwarber, who hit a long home run of his own an inning later in the fourth. A thumbs up is about all you’ll get from Schwarber, who looks more relieved than excited when he hits one out of the park.

“I think in today’s game, you see it all the time,” interim manager Don Mattingly said about Acuña’s home run trot. “It’s not something that you don’t see. It’s more commonplace. I’m sure it still irritates guys to a point. You know, it’s kind of, ‘Let the kids play.’ We started that. That’s what you get.”

It’s all a game within a game. And game respects game. Wheeler, after taking a subtle dig at Acuña, praised him and their battles over the years. Acuña has gotten the better of him. In 57 regular-season plate appearances, Acuña has nine extra-base hits against Wheeler.

“I mean, he’s a really good player,” Wheeler said. “Injuries have hurt him a little bit, but he’s a really good player, good swing. If you make a mistake like I did, he can put you in the seats. Gotta be careful with him and pitch smart.”

Between the lines, the big takeaway from Wheeler’s outing is that he looked more like his dominant self from the first half of the season. It did not start out that way. He loaded the bases in the first inning on a pair of singles and a walk, but was able to get three straight outs and open the game with a zero. He needed only 18 pitches to get out of the jam. The Acuña home run was the only run allowed by Wheeler over six innings.

“Definitely a step in the right direction,” Wheeler said.