Listen, I know that Zack Wheeler is a bit of a concern right now. His start today was a bit short of vintage Wheeler, and maybe there should be some real talk about what should be done next.
But considering it feels like the Phillies had never learned how to sweep an opponent when it called for it, especially when it’s on the road? This is a win that I will take.
It didn’t have those normal good feeling vibes to begin. All of the velocities on Wheeler’s pitches were down at least two miles per hour, something that maybe they had anticipated considering he had a bit of shoulder pain, but in the first inning at least, it looked like there was going to be something to be really concerned about. Joc Pederson, who has done just short of nothing this season, whacked a pitch from Wheeler for a two-run home run to get the scoring started on the day.
From there, Wheeler did settle in a bit more. He gave up a few more walks than we would normally see from him, but there wasn’t much damage done the rest of his outing. The real issue was the offense not hitting Patrick Corbin of all people. In the fourth, with Trea Turner on base via a walk, Bryce Harper got them their first hit and run on one swing.
In the fifth, the Phillies took the lead on a home run by Edmundo Sosa and an RBI single from Weston Wilson, more or less driving Corbin from the game when he walked Turner on the next at bat.
That lead was a bit tenuous when Wheeler gave up a barreled baseball to Corey Seager, but newly acquired Harrison Bader, in center field against a left handed pitcher made the play of the game defensively for the Phillies.
The lead was still a bit tenuous when Wheeler departed after five innings, but the bullpen, finally in roles that they can embrace, shut down the Rangers the rest of the way. The quartet of Tanner Banks, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran made light work of the Texas offense, allowing the Phillies to tack on an insurance run in the ninth to secure the victory and sweep, a long thought of idea that rarely came to fruition these past few months.
Thankfully, mercifully, this ends the stretch of interleague play as the team rolls on to Cincinnati to keep the good play moving along.