Zack Wheeler hurls one-hitter, Bryson Stott plays hero as Phillies secure series win over Reds
On a day when Zack Wheeler was dominating the Cincinnati Reds, a lack of offense took center stage for the Phillies on Sunday. At least until the bottom of the eighth inning, that is. While Wheeler navigated his way through the Reds lineup with ease, the Phillies lineup struggled to turn baserunners into runs in their eventual 3-1 victory.
Through the game’s first six innings, the Phillies were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight runners on the bases in the process. The seventh inning didn’t make those numbers any better. With two outs and runners on the corners, Nick Castellanos went down on strikes in three pitches, chasing a slider well outside of the strike zone from Graham Ashcraft to keep the game tied 1-1. An inning earlier, the Phillies left the bases loaded.
All was forgiven in the eighth. With Tony Santillan on the mound, J.T. Realmuto singled with one out, bringing Bryson Stott to the dish, who sent a center-cut fastball into the right-field seats for a go-ahead two-run home run. Stott had worked himself into a 2-2 count. His homer came on the seventh pitch of his at-bat.
As for Wheeler, there was one blemish to his day. The right-hander, who pitched to the tune of a 0.58 ERA across five starts in June, allowed one hit — a home run to Austin Hays — and walked none, going the distance and facing just 28 batters. He worked from the windup all day.
Following Stott’s go-ahead homer, it was Wheeler’s turn to take center stage in the top of the ninth. He finished off his first complete game of the season with his eighth 1-2-3 inning of the game. He struck out Will Benson to start the frame, and got Santiago Espinal to line out and TJ Friedl to fly out to finish things off.
Wheeler started the ballgame with four perfect innings and five strikeouts. Hays’ home run led off the top of the fifth. Wheeler didn’t blink. He set down the final 15 batters he faced in order, racking up seven more strikeouts along the way, finishing with 12 — the second-most in a start this year.
Wheeler relied heavily on his fastballs, using his four-seamer 46 times and his sinker 26 times. Those 72 pitches were out of 108 total. Wheeler’s four-seamer averaged 97 mph, maxing out at 98.8 mph and reaching as high as 97.7 mph in the ninth inning. His sinker averaged 96.4 mph, topping out at 97.8.
Sunday marked the fifth complete game of Wheeler’s career. His season totals now sit at a 2.17 ERA in 116 innings with 148 strikeouts and a 0.84 WHIP.