Zack Wheeler caps off strong weekend of starting pitching in Phillies’ blowout win over Blue Jays
PHILADELPHIA — With plenty of run support, Zack Wheeler went to work on Sunday afternoon in the Phillies’ 11-4 win over the Blue Jays that secured a sweep of Toronto and completed a 5-1 homestand. In front a sold-out crowd of 44,681, Wheeler lowered his ERA on the year to 2.76 following six innings in which he allowed two runs (one earned) with nine strikeouts and no walks. The veteran right-hander allowed just four hits — all singles.
Manager Rob Thomson saw “the same stuff” from his ace as he always does. “There were not a whole lot a balls hit hard,” said Thomson. “It was a lot of soft contact. The nine strikeouts. His command. It’s really impressive.”
Wheeler’s performance caps off a strong weekend of starting pitching for the Phillies against one of the best lineups in baseball over the last month-plus. The Blue Jays entered their weekend at Citizens Bank Park top five in batting average (.267), OPS (.774) and runs scored (171) in MLB since May 8. Combined, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez and Wheeler limited the Jays to four runs on 13 hits across 20 innings pitched. Of the 13 hits those three surrendered, only two were for extra bases.
The bullpen that followed Suárez and Sánchez was just as strong as they were. Joe Ross and Taijuan Walker each pitched scoreless innings on Friday. Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm did the same on Saturday. The bullpen that followed Wheeler was a little less effective. Tanner Banks allowed two runs in the seventh, but Jordan Romano and Max Lazar each turned in scoreless appearances to finish off the win.
Altogether, Phillies pitchers limited the Blue Jays’ high-performing offense to six runs and a .186 batting average over the weekend.
“That’s a good club, Toronto,” Thomson said. “They can swing the bats. And we pitched very well.”
The two runs Wheeler allowed Sunday both came in the top of the fifth inning. One scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Alan Roden. The second came on a play in which Jonatan Clase was awarded a single and Wheeler was charged with a throwing error.
Clase chopped a ball between third base and the pitcher’s mound. Wheeler jumped off the mound, fielded the ball and made a throw to first base while hopping. The ball skipped toward Otto Kemp, who couldn’t pick it cleanly. The ball then rolled away from the Phillies first baseman, and a hustling Ernie Clement scored from second, cutting the home team’s lead to 4-2.
The Phillies got those two runs back a half inning later when Alec Bohm crushed a first-pitch sinker from Toronto starter José Berríos 433 feet for his seventh home run of the season.
Back on the mound for the sixth, facing 2-3-4 in the Toronto batting order, Wheeler made easy work of the Blue Jays. It was a common theme on Sunday. Including the sixth inning, the right-hander pitched four 1-2-3 frames. He struck out the side in the second and third innings, sitting down five straight Blue Jays on strikes at one point. Wheeler relied heavily on his fastballs, throwing 35 four-seamers and 23 sinkers. In total, he fired 94 pitches, landing 61 for strikes.
Nick Castellanos all but put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, hitting his second grand slam of the season to give his club an eight-run cushion.
The Phillies had been 1-9 over their last 10 games entering their six-game homestand against two of the better clubs in baseball right now, the Cubs and Blue Jays. Thomson noticed a difference in his team this week.
“I think we’re back to playing a full game,” Thomson said, “meaning defensively, offensively, pitching. It’s been good.”
Up next for the Phillies (42-29) is a four-game series on the road in Miami against the Marlins (28-41) beginning on Monday night.