Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber led the Phillies to a 2-1 victory last night over the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. 

The only thing stopping Wheeler last night was the Pirates ground crew and good ol’ Mother Nature. He was phenomenal, allowing just three hits, on earned run, and a walk while striking out 11 over 6.2 innings.

Wheeler earned the win and improved to 8-5 on the season with a 3.74 ERA over 21 starts. He’s struck out a total of 146 batters while walking just 24, which is the best K/BB ratio in all over Major League Baseball.

The Phillies improved to 8-1 over his last nine starts with the only loss coming in Cleveland in a game that was lost 1-0 to the Guardians. Wheeler is now 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA in three starts since the All-Star Break. He’s pitched a total of 20.2 innings and has struck out 26 batters. 

The Pirates’ ground crew attempted to pull the tarp on the field but had a fair share of trouble after it appeared to get stuck, failing to cover the entire first base line and home plate.

In reality, the delay was basically 5 minutes but due to the trouble to properly cover field by the Pirates’ ground crew, it was extended to 42 minutes ending Wheeler’s night at just 71 pitches.

Zack Wheeler: 6.2 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 BB | 11 K

Jeff Hoffman, Gregory Soto, and Craig Kimbrel pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief as the Phillies left PNC Park with a 2-1 win. 

At the plate, Kyle Schwarber led the way with a double, two-run home run, and three walks on the night. In the top of the third inning with Brandon Marsh on second, Schwarber crushed a home run to deep left center field to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. 

Kyle Schwarber 2-Run Home Run

Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos 

• Trea Turner: 0-5, K
• Bryce Harper: 0-4, 2 K
• Nick Castellanos: 0-4, 3 K 

Trea Turner did have is best defensive play of the 2023 season. So that has to count for something.

The Hunt for Red October: NL Wild Card

The Phillies have now won three straight games and find themselves in the first NL Wild Card spot, with one less loss than the Cincinnati Reds in second, and a half game up on the Marlins and Giants who are tied for third.

Note: The Chicago Cubs have now won seven straight games and are 9-1 over their last 10 games. That could change things days ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline on Tuesday, August 1st.

The Phillies have been long-rumored as potential landing spots for Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman. Keep an eye on the Cubbies, who could become buyers instead of sellers this weekend.

The Phillies will send Aaron Nola (9-6, 4.25 ERA) to the mound against Pirates’ Quinn Priester (1-1, 9.28 ERA) tonight at PNC Park looking for their fourth straight win.

Phillies Next Four Series 

• Pittsburgh Pirates (45-57) – 2 Games
• Miami Marlins (55-48) – 4 Games
• Kansas City Royals (29-75) – 3 Games
• Washington Nationals (43-59) – 4 Games

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