Harper, Turner, Suárez discuss road without Wheeler after big win over Mariners
PHILADELPHIA — Matt Strahm stood in front of a throng of media at his locker three hours before the Phillies’ series opener against the Mariners and knew which questions were coming.
Zack Wheeler, the Phillies’ ace, had undergone a procedure Monday to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder, leaving an entire fanbase anxious for news beyond just the on-field impact.
“He’s the heart of this team, the heart of the staff,” Strahm said, emphasizing the organization’s concern about Wheeler the human being more than Wheeler the staff ace.
The Phillies went out Monday night and had the sort of galvanizing effort they’ll need frequently over the next two-plus months to win it all, whether or not Wheeler is able to participate.
They hung six second-inning runs on a very good starting pitcher in Logan Gilbert and won 12-7 over a Mariners team tied with the Yankees and Red Sox for the top AL wild-card spot.
Bryce Harper homered twice. Trea Turner hit his first of the year at Citizens Bank Park and drove in five runs. J.T. Realmuto went deep for the first time in three weeks.
“It’s something that’s hard to put in the back of your mind and not think about,” Harper said. “But obviously Zack wants us to go out there and play our game and be good and get deep into the playoffs and win a World Series. That’s the goal and he wants us to do that.”
The offense obviously won’t be this explosive each night, but to a man, all 26 players in the Phillies’ clubhouse know they need to step up without Wheeler, arguably the best player on the team and the best pitcher in baseball.
The lineup, specifically, will have to live up to its billing. It can’t just be two or three guys.
“We don’t have to rely on one person,” Turner said. “When you lose a player of that caliber, it’s definitely going to hurt a little bit. We can all step up a little bit. We can all play a little better defense, we can all pitch a little better, we can all hit a little better. Play as a team and I think if we all pick up a little bit of slack, we can get the job done. But we’re going to miss him.”
Without Wheeler, the rotation turns from the Phillies’ strength to a question mark beyond Cristopher Sánchez. As such, it was important for Ranger Suárez to strike out 10 over 6⅔ dominant innings Monday night after serving up five-plus runs in three of his last five starts.
Suárez has pitched well this season against the toughest lineups he’s faced. In seven starts against teams currently in playoff position, he has averaged just under seven innings with a 2.12 ERA. He’s playoff-tested and might be the guy in Game 2 of a series.
“Coming into the stadium today,” Suárez said through an interpreter, “maybe that’s what we’re all thinking as a starting staff: We lost a great pitcher, we lost a great player and we just have to perform as best as we can so we can try to fill those shoes.”
It will be incredibly difficult because Wheeler was one of the Phillies’ primary advantages with his elite stuff, durability, stamina and ability to maintain it all for seven months. Aaron Nola is now significantly more important. So is Taijuan Walker. One will likely have to start within the first three games of a playoff series so the Phillies don’t roll out three straight lefties.
The team has responded well in two games since learning the Wheeler news. There’s a long road to go. Beyond the big nights from Harper, Turner and Realmuto, all three starting outfielders had a multi-hit game. Nick Castellanos has had two in a row after a 1-for-38 skid. Max Kepler has multiple hits in four of his last seven games, as many as in his previous 32.
“A lot of guys had big nights,” Thomson said. “I think everybody in the lineup had a hit by the second inning.”
They’ll look to keep it rolling Tuesday night against Seattle right-hander Bryce Miller, who has been out since June 6 with elbow inflammation.